Love To Burn
by kimmiek2006
Summary: This is a Matthew Casey and Sylvie Brett fanfic. It takes place four months after the fire that killed Otis. A few things have been changed for the sake of this story. Hope you all like it.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

It had been about four months since the mattress warehouse fire that killed Otis and hurt Sylvie Brett's wrist. Sylvie had been living in Fowlerton, her hometown, with Kyle Sheffield but she wasn't happy about it. In fact, she missed Chicago. She missed her friends at Firehouse 51 and she missed seeing a certain blonde headed man who had the sweetest smile. Thoughts of Matthew Casey ran through her head every single day since being in Fowlerton. She knew it was wrong to think of Casey while being engaged to Kyle but she couldn't help it. One day while she was out with Kyle, she ran into her former friend,  
Hope Jacquinot. She knew she was bound to run into Hope since being back in Fowlerton, but she wasn't ready for this.

"Sylvie Brett, is that you?" Hope said with a big smile.

"Hi, Hope." Sylvie said as nicely as she could without sounding conceded.

"This must be the famous Kyle that your mom and dad keeps going on and on about. You know, it's funny. Everyone always said that Sylvie wouldn't make it in Chicago and that she would be back here and here she is." Hope smirked.

Sylvie was getting agitated by the sight and sound of Hope. Then, Hope started flirting with Kyle right in front of Sylvie, which really ticked Sylvie off.

"Alright, that's enough Hope. Kyle and I have a lot to do today but it was nice seeing you." Sylvie said with a fake smile.

They said their goodbyes and Kyle and Sylvie headed home after doing a little bit of shopping. Once they arrived home, Sylvie started looking at the newspaper for a job since she left her old job as Paramedic In Charge at Firehouse 51 in Chicago.

"Honey, you don't have to do that. You can stay home and be a chaplain's wife. I can provide for the both of us." Kyle unknowingly said in a smug way.

He wasn't trying to sound conceded but he did and it really didn't sit well with Sylvie.

"I know but I love working." Sylvie smiled.

"But you can stay at home and work." Kyle insisted.

They continued to have this conversation until Sylvie nearly snapped. After a while of sitting in silence, Sylvie took off her engagement ring and ended things with Kyle. Little did she know that two of her best friends were already planning on coming to get her. While Sylvie was upstairs packing her suitcases, Stella Kidd and Emily Foster at Firehouse 51, decided they needed to go get their best friend and former colleague. They were talking in the locker room about what to do about the situation.

"So, what are we supposed to do do? Just drive to Fowlerton and bring her home?" Stella asked.

"Why not? You heard her on the phone last night. She didn't sound like herself. She sounded miserable." Emily replied.

"Who's miserable?" Joe Cruz asked.

Joe Cruz was a member of Firehouse 51 and a member of Squad 3. He was also Sylvie's former roommate before she left Chicago to go back to Fowlerton.

"Brett. You heard her on the phone, Cruz. She didn't sound like herself." Emily explained.

"Stella, Foster's right. I mean, Brett sounded like she was faking the whole thing about being happy but we know better than that." Cruz said.

"Well, what's the plan?" Stella asked.

"I say we go get our girl and bring her home whether she wants to come back or not." Foster said.

After a minute, Stella threw her hands up.

"Let's go get our girl." Stella smiled.

"You guys be careful." Cruz said as the women were leaving the locker room.

The women were walking through the garage bay when Lieutenant Kelly Severide, Stella's boyfriend, saw them.

"Where are you two going?" Severide asked.

"I'd like to know that myself." Captain Matthew Casey asked.

"We are going to go get Brett and bring her home whether she likes it or not." Foster smiled.

"Yep. We aren't coming back without our girl." Stella said.

"So, if she says no, you're gonna kidnap her?" Severide joked.

"Yep." Stella firmly said.

"Well, you two be careful. Tell Brett I said hi." Casey said as he walked off.

Matthew Casey had been thinking about Sylvie ever since she started dating Kyle. He knew it was wrong but he missed her. He missed her laugh, her smile,  
her blonde hair, her eyes, and everything about her. He missed her and the whole firehouse knew it, although they weren't sure if he missed her in a friendship kind of way or in a more than friends kind of way. One thing was certain, if anyone could bring Sylvie Brett back home to Chicago, it would be Stella and Emily. Stella and Emily got into Stella's jeep and started to drive to Fowlerton. It took them a few hours, but they finally made it.

"So, what do we do?" Emily panicked.

Stella laughed.

"We knock on the door and tell her to come home. Simple as that." Stella said.

Stella continued to drive and finally found the street she needed to be on.

"What's the address say?" Stella asked.

As Emily fumbled to look at the paper, she saw the number and told Stella.

"It's that one right there." Emily said as she pointed to the house.

Stella pulled in and drove up to the house. She parked her jeep and then she and Emily got out of the vehicle. They walked up to the front porch and before they made it to the door, they heard the door open. It was sylvie.

"Hi guys!" Sylvie said with a smile.

"Listen to us. We know you are miserable here and we want you to come home with us. I don't care if you love Kyle but Chicago is your home. Firehouse 51 is your home." Stella firmly said.

"Yeah and we all miss you. The whole house misses you including Casey." Emily smiled.

"Please, come home with us." Stella begged.

"When do we leave?" Sylvie said in a sweet tone.

"Wait, what?" Stella asked.

"I wanna come home." Sylvie smiled. "I've missed you guys!"

Sylvie gave her two best friends a hug and then grabbed her luggage that was sitting inside the doorway. Kyle had left to go to work while Sylvie was packing her things and saying goodbye to her family before Stella and Foster showed up. She was so happy to be going home to the place she had called home for a few years. More importantly, she was happy that she would finally get to see Casey again. She and Casey hadn't spoken since she left. After the fire that killed Otis, she and Casey had a huge fight about her being with Kyle and left on bad terms with him. It was a fight that the whole house had witness and it stung. Both of them were hurt by the other and the last thing that either of them wanted was to see the other hurting.

"Let's get you home!" Stella exclaimed with pure happiness.

"You have a lot to tell us." Foster said as the three of them walked to Stella's jeep.

They got in the jeep and Stella started driving home. Sylvie told the women about her time in Fowlerton and what happened with Kyle. Before she knew it,  
they were pulling up to the firehouse. It was home. It was exactly where she belonged. It was time for a shift change and that meant that Cruz, Casey,  
Severide, Clapp, Boden, Herrmann, Mouch and the two new probies to get off work. Sylvie wanted so badly to see Casey and just hug him tightly and not let go. She wanted to also give him a kiss. She had dreams about kissing him and telling him how he was right about Kyle and how she shouldn't have gotten engaged but how does she tell Matthew Casey, the man who has been there for her when no one else has been, that he was right and she was wrong. She wasn't sure but she knew she just needed to see him. She needed to feel his arms around her. Stella put the jeep in park and the three women got out of the jeep. As they started walking to the firehouse, the first person that Brett saw was Cruz.

"There she is!" Cruz said with a huge smile on his face.

He picked her up and twirled her around as he hugged her. She giggled as he twirled her and then put her down.

"I've missed you." Brett softly said.

"Listen, if your old room at the apartment is still yours if you are interested." Cruz said.

"I'll take it." Brett smiled.

"See you at home later, roomie." Cruz said as he headed to his truck to go home.

Stella, Foster, and Brett continued to walk towards the firehouse but was met by several familiar faces.

"Welcome home, Sylvie." Chief Wallace Boden said in a deep, raspy voice.

He gave her a hug.

"Thank you, Chief." Brett replied.

"Listen, I know you just got home but I just wanted to say that your job is still here right where you left it. We need our Paramedic In Charge back and if you want, you can start tomorrow or Monday. Your choice." Boden said.

"Can I start Monday? I just want to get settled back in now that I'm back home." Brett said.

"Absolutely." Boden said with a smile. "See you on Monday at 8:00 a.m. sharp."

"Thank you, Chief." Brett said.

With that, Boden headed home. The next one to greet them was Severide.

"Look what the cat drug in." Severide joked.

"Haha. Very funny. I see you are still playing with fire." Brett joked back.

Severide picked Brett up as he gave her a hug and then put her back down.

"I've missed you." Severide said.

"I've missed you, too. So, how are things around here?" Brett asked.

"Different. Things haven't been the same since you left." Severide said with a serious tone.

They continued to talk for a few minutes before he and Stella headed home together.

"You coming, Foster?" Severide asked.

"Yeah." Foster said as she gave Brett a hug goodbye and headed to Stella's jeep.

Stella had drove Severide and Foster to work today, so when they left, Stella took Foster home and then drove herself and Severide back to their apartment. As Brett continued to walk inside the firehouse, she saw two familiar faces that made her smile.

"Well, well, well. I was wondering if Kidd and Foster were gonna succeed in their trip to get you to come home." Christopher Herrmann said with a smile.

"Herrmann, I've missed you." Brett said as she gave Herrmann a big hug.

"What am I? Chop liver?" Randall "Mouch" McHolland said.

"Mouch, of course not." Brett said with a smile as she gave Mouch a big hug as well.

"Now listen, don't you ever leave us again. 51 is not the same without you. Molly's isn't the same without you." Herrmann said.

"Trust me, I'm not leaving Chicago or this house ever again." Brett smiled.

Herrmann and Mouch chatted with Brett for a few more minutes before heading out. Brett ran into Clapp and Tony and gave them a hug as they were heading home for the evening. They welcomed her back home and then left. She had seen everyone in the house except for one person. The one person she wanted to see more than anyone in the world. She wanted him to know that she missed him. Here was her chance. Standing down the hallway talking to Boden's new secretary was none other than Matthew Casey. His back was turned to her so he had no idea that she was back but she knew it was him based on his figure.  
She had seen the back of Casey so many times that she could pick it out of a line up if she had too. Just as Boden's secretary headed back to her desk to finish her shift, Casey felt as if someone was watching him from behind. As Brett continued to walked towards him, she stopped when he turned around.  
Seeing the cute blonde in front of him, Casey smiled. Casey walked towards her and smiled. He wrapped his arms around her, picked her up, and gave her a huge hug and then put her back down. He kept his arms wrapped around her. He took in the sight of her. She was dressed in a pair of blue jeans, black knee high boots, and a cute white cami shirt underneath her white blouse. She had on her Victoria Secret Pure Seduction body spray and she had on just a little bit of black eye liner to bring out her eyes. Taking in the sight of how she looked, Casey smiled even more and gave her another huge hug.

"I was hoping that Stella and Foster would bring you home." Casey smiled.

"Yeah? Why is that?" Brett smiled back.

"Because I missed you. We all missed you and well, Foster, she was about to kill her new partner who turned out to be a complete jerk." Casey laughed.

"Casey, there's something I need to tell you. Can we go into your office?" Brett asked with a serious tone.

By the sound of her voice, Casey knew that something was wrong.

"Sure." Casey replied as they headed into Casey's office.

Casey closed the door behind them and then closed the blinds to let anyone in the Firehouse know that he was busy and could not be interrupted.

"What's up?" Casey asked with a serious look on his face.

"You were right. You were right about everything and I want to say that I am sorry. I wanted to call and text you so many times to tell you that you were right but I couldn't do it. I got scared." Brett explained.

Casey sat in his chair looking at Brett.

"You know, I'm sorry too. I'm sorry that we fought before you left. I'm sorry for everything that happened but I'm not sorry that you are back." Casey said.

"Thanks, Casey." Brett said as she stood up from sitting on the bed in his office.

Casey gave her another huge hug.

"Hey, do you have a way home?" Casey asked.

"Now that you mention it, no." Brett giggled. "Foster and Kidd were my ride from Fowlerton to Chicago."

"Well, Stella and Severide are probably at the apartment fooling around like they do most nights after shift, would you maybe wanna go grab a beer and catch up?" Casey asked.

"I've got a better idea. Why don't you come over to the apartment? Cruz said I could have my old room back and he told me he was going over to Chloe's tonight." Brett said.

"Sounds like a plan." Casey said.

With that, the two of them headed to the apartment that Brett and Cruz shared. Brett had taken her suitcases out of Stella's jeep earlier when they arrived at the firehouse and literally carried them inside the firehouse. The suitcases were sitting outside of Casey's office and he helped her carry them to his truck. He placed her suitcases in the bed of the truck and then he and Brett got in the truck and headed to Brett's apartment.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Casey and Brett arrived at Brett's apartment. Casey put his truck in park and then helped Brett get her suitcases from the back of the truck. Brett got her keys out to the apartment and walked with Casey to the front door of the apartment building. She opened the door and then they headed upstairs to the apartment that she and Cruz shared together. Brett opened the door to the apartment and yelled for Cruz, just in case he wasn't with Chloe. She searched the apartment as well to make sure it was all clear and it was. Casey closed the door behind him.

"Welcome back home, Sylvie Brett." Matthew Casey grinned.

"Thank you, Casey." Brett smiled as she took her suitcases to her room.

There were three bedrooms but one of the doors to one of the bedrooms remained closed at all times. It was the bedroom that Otis had. Brett and Cruz couldn't bring themselves to go into Otis's bedroom after he died and Otis's family got all of his clothes and personal items such as family pictures and things that were important to them. Otis's family told Brett and Cruz that they could have whatever was left. That was when the two of them had decided to keep Otis's bedroom door shut, at least until they were ready to go through what was left of his things. Casey noticed that Brett was staring at the door to Otis's bedroom and walked over to her and held her as she started crying uncontrollably. She missed Otis. The whole firehouse missed Otis but Cruz and Brett were the closest to Otis and Casey couldn't help but hold Brett close to him as she cried.

"I miss him. I miss him so much." Brett said as she continued to cry.

"Shh...I know you do. It's ok. It's ok." Casey comforted Brett.

"I'm sorry." Brett said as she tried to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Don't you ever apologize for crying because you miss Otis. I cry at least once a week because I miss him. Look at me, if you ever feel like having a breakdown because you miss him, just let me know. I'll cry with you." Casey said as tears started flowing out of his eyes.

He held her and she held him as tight as possible. Casey wiped the tears from Brett's eyes and then kissed her forehead. After a few minutes, Casey and Brett went into the kitchen where Brett made some tea for the both of them. Casey called and placed an order for a large pepperoni and cheese pizza.

"You didn't have to do that." Brett said.

"Well, you didn't think that I was just gonna let you eat all by yourself and since Cruz doesn't have anything in the fridge, I'm not just gonna leave you alone to eat, what, a salad." Casey teased.

"Thank you for doing that." Brett smiled.

"Anytime." Casey smiled back.

There was a knock on the door. It was the delivery man with the pizza that Casey had ordered. Casey answered the door.

"A delivery for a Matthew Casey." the delivery man said.

"That's me." Casey said as he paid for the pizza.

"Thank you." the delivery man said as gave the pizza to Casey.

Casey took the pizza and the delivery man left. Casey closed the door and brought the pizza into the kitchen.

"I've missed the smell of that Chicago pizza." Brett laughed.

"I take it that Fowlerton doesn't have this." Casey said.

"Fowlerton has nothing. They have one little grocery store, a flower shop, a gas station, an elementary, middle school, and high school, and a small park. The nearest pizza joint is about a half hour away." Brett said.

"Wow. Yeah, you're not going back there if I can help it." Casey smiled.

Why did his smile make her go weak in the knees? She wanted so badly to just kiss Matthew Casey right then and there but she would feel like she was betraying her other best friend, Gabriela "Gabby" Dawson. Casey and Dawson were married briefly but divorced not long after. Gabby decided to do relief work in Puerto Rico and when she briefly returned to Chicago just a few months after she left, she had told Casey goodbye and left for good. Gabby hasn't spoken to anyone in the firehouse since. Gabby had divorce papers sent to Casey and he signed them after seeing that Gabby had no problem signing the divorce papers, Casey signed them and made it official. Brett had been there to help him through the divorce. Casey couldn't afford the place he was living in with Dawson by himself, so Severide told Casey that he could move in with him. Of course, Stella was there most of the time since she and Severide were dating but it was alright. Casey usually kept to himself in Severide's guest room.

"I don't plan on it." Brett smiled back.

"So, what's your plan for coming back to work?" Casey asked.

"Well, Boden said I could come back tomorrow or Monday, so I told him to let me start on Monday. It gives me time to get moved back in here and settled before going back." Brett explained.

"Well, I'm off tomorrow. Would you maybe wanna get out of here and go sight seeing?" Casey asked.

"You know, in the whole time I've lived in Chicago, I have not been sight seeing, so yeah. Let's do it!" Brett exclaimed.

"Alright. Sounds like a date." Casey said before realizing what he just said.

Brett giggled.

"I don't mean like a date. I mean like a plan. Sounds like a plan." Casey corrected himself.

Why did he just say the word, date? It's not something that he and Brett had talked about and he didn't want to give her the wrong impression, but deep down, he really wanted it to be a date.

"I get what you mean." Brett laughed.

They ate the pizza and caught up on everything.

"So, then Herrmann starts begging Mouch to buy out Otis's shares of Molly. Lucky for Herrmann, Trudy agreed to it and helped Mouch buy out Otis's shares of Molly's from Otis's brothers. When Otis died, his brothers split his shares. So now, Mouch, Herrmann, and Gabby are the proud owner of Molly's. The only problem is that Mouch and Herrman are now running a bar together and it's funny to watch them." Casey explained.

"Wow. Mouch and Herrmann running a bar together. I never thought that would ever happen but I'm glad that Molly's is staying within the house. I would hate it if someone outside of our family took Molly's from us. It would feel wrong." Brett chimmed.

"I agree." Casey said.

"Hey, would you maybe wanna stay and watch a movie? I just don't feel like being alone right now." Brett asked.

Suprised, Casey couldn't turn her down, nor did he want too.

"I'd love too." he smiled.

"So, which one do you wanna watch?" she asked.

Casey walked over to the shelf where Brett was to look at the DVDs that she and Cruz had. Scanning over the contents of each DVD, he saw one that he didn't think either of them would have. In fact, most of the DVDs were some kind of movie about firefighters, but this particular movie had nothing to do with that. It was a classic that Casey loved to watch from time to time.

"If I tell you, you can't judge me." he joked.

"Deal." she smiled.

Casey grabbed the DVD case and handed it to Brett.

"Seriously? This was the one I was gonna pick too." Brett laughed.

"Are you kidding me?" Casey asked.

"Nope. It's my go to movie." she smiled.

"Mine too." he said.

Brett placed the movie into the DVD player and turned the TV on. She started the movie and the credits on the screen said "Grease."

"I could seriously watch this movie any day of the year. It's one of those movies I just love to watch when I need a good laugh." she smiled.

"Same here." he replied.

They walked over and sat back down on the couch.

"Matthew Casey likes to watch the musical, Grease. Who would have thought." Brett teased.

"I know. Shocker." Casey joked.

As the intro to the movie started playing, Brett started to sing along. Casey looked over at her and couldn't believe that she had an amazing voice, well at least to him. Gabby always sang off key but Brett always did well as long as the music was playing and could sing along to the song. If she had to sing by herself, she was awful but Casey didn't know that. Casey let out a small chuckle when Brett was singing but it was worth it. He gets to spend time with the woman that has been on his mind since the day that they fought at the firehouse. It was such a relief that they had worked it out and talked about what happened. It was complete closure from that time in Brett's life where she had to make this mistake to find that what she realy wanted was Matthew Casey. This man was sitting right beside her at this very moment and she didn't want that to end. During the middle of the movie, Cruz texted Brett.

"BE HOME TOMORROW. STAYING WITH CHLOE TONIGHT. PS, WELCOME BACK HOME!" the text said.

Sylvie smiled.

"Who was that?" Casey curiously asked.

"Just Cruz. He was just telling me he is staying with Chloe tonight." Brett explained.

"Oh." Casey casuallly said.

"Since Stella and Kelly are alone at Kelly's, you are more than welcome to stay here tonight. Cruz is gonna be gone all night and given everything that has happened today, I could use the company." she smiled.

"Are you sure? You don't mind me crashing on the couch?" he asked.

"I don't see why not. I mean, there's an extra pillow and blanket in the closet and it would be nice to have a temporary roommate on my first night back home." she quietly said.

Deep down, she wanted him next to her. She wanted to feel his arms around her all night. She wanted him. He wanted her. He felt the same way she did but given all that had happened over the last several months, neither of them wanted to jump into anything. At some point, she had made popcorn and they were making jokes at each other and then had a popcorn fight. They started laughing and at one point, he began to tickle her until she couldn't take it anymore. He stopped tickling her and then just stared at her face. He looked her up and down and she did the same to him. He leaned in and before they could kiss, Brett's phone rang. It was Foster.

"Hello?" Brett answered.

"Hey Brett, it's Foster. I know you just got home today and all that but would you wanna hang out this weekend? My roommate is going out of town tomorrow and I could use some girl time. Uh, I'm busy tomorrow day but tomorrow night works." Brett replied.

"My apartment around 7?" Foster asked.

"I'll be there." Brett replied.

"See you then." Foster said as she hung up the phone.

Brett hung up the phone and just giggled.

"So, Foster wants me to have a Girls Night with her tomorrow night." Brett complained.

"You don't want too?" Casey asked.

"I just got home. I wanted to spend the weekend just relaxing a bit and spending time with you." Brett slipped.

Did she really just admit to Casey that she wanted to spend time with him? She looked mortified. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hear what Casey's reply to that would be.

"You want to spend time with me?" Casey questioned.

"Well, you did ask me if I wanted to go sight seeing tomorrow." she giggled.

"That's true." he laughed.

"So, I was thinking that maybe we could go to Millennium Park, go to Willis Tower, and maybe see some museums if they are open. I mean, some places aren't open on the weekends, so I don't know how that would work, but those are just a few of the things I would like to see. That is, if that's alright with you." she rambled.

Casey couldn't help but smile.

"Museums? I would have taken you for more of an amusement park girl." he teased.

"I had a chance to go to New York when I was in college with my ex fiance, but things didn't work out and we broke up. It was for the best. If we hadn't broken up, I never would have ended up here in Chicago. The one thing I have always wanted to do is go to the theater, more specifically, I want to go see a Broadway show in New York. Oh well, maybe some day that will happen." she told Casey.

"Never say never. Remember that." he told her.

They went back to watching the movie, which was near the end. It was Brett's favorite part.

"We go together..." the people on the TV sang.

The next thing that Casey knew, Brett was singing along. To her surprise, he started singing with her. They didn't sound the best but they didn't care. At some point, they both ended up dancing with each other while singing along to the song. It turned playfull quickly. Dancing, singing, and then the next thing either of them knew, it was a pillow fight. They each took one of the couch pillows and started to hit the other with it. It was so good to hear that beautiful laugh of her's. Casey missed her laugh and seeing her eyes light up when she would laugh. Finally after everything settled down and she caught her breath, she excused herself for a minute.

"Where do you think you're going?" Casey teased.

"To the bathroom. I laughed so hard that I literally have to use the bathroom." Brett giggled as she made her way to the bathroom.

"Oh Sylvie, if you only knew." Casey whispered to himself out loud.

About five minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom. She walked over to the DVD player and took the DVD out and then put in Grease 2. She was a sucker for those movies. She walked back over to the couch and sat beside of Casey.

"Sorry it took so long. I saw Otis's soap in there." Brett said in a light voice.

"Come here." Casey said as he motioned for her to come sit beside him.

She walked over to him and he opened his arms for her. She settled into the couch and rested her head on his chest. She held her arms together because having his arms around her is exactly what she needed. He never thought that he would ever hold her this close to him but he wasn't complaining. This is exactly what he needed and where he belonged. Brett was content being right here in this very moment with the man she has been dreaming about for months. 


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Casey and Brett stayed in the same position on the couch for what seemed like an eternity, but it was only about an hour. They talked about the most random things as to not make things awkward between the two of them. Brett shifted her weight so that she ended up laying on Casey's lap. She used to do the same thing with Otis when he, Cruz, and her were home. She would lay her head on Otis's lap and put her feet on Cruz's lap. They didn't mind. She was so used to doing that, that she didn't realize she was doing it until she looked up at Casey.

"I am so sorry!" Brett said as she jolted up.

"Don't be." Casey replied.

"This was something that I always did with Otis and Cruz. I would put my feet on top of Cruz's lap and lay my head down on Otis's lap. Otis and Cruz were so happy that some girl gave them attention that after I moved in and we started having Movie Night Fridays, it became a habit for me. It became a routine that I forgot about everything for a minute." she nervously explained.

"I get it. It's ok. You don't have to explain. Come here." Casey said as he pulled Brett close to him.

The way he gently pulled her to lay on his lap like the way she did with Otis really touched her. Casey didn't realize just how much Otis had meant not only to him but to Brett and the others.

"Thank you." she whispered.

"You're welcome." he whispered back.

Brett smiled. She missed moments like this with Otis where she would listen to Otis go on and on about how his love life was non existent and how he wished he could find someone as great as Brett. Truth is, Otis finally met the woman of his dreams, Lily, who was everything he ever wanted. Lily fell completely in love with Otis and even told Brett that she wanted to marry him but before she could have her happily ever after with Otis, he died. Brett's heart broke for Lily. Lily asked if she could have Otis's sweat jacket that the fire department issued him and Boden agreed. This was a special circumstance that hurt the whole CFD in Chicago, not just Firehouse 51. Otis did work for other CFD firehouses but his main home was that at 51. As Brett was laying on Casey's lap, her eyes focused on the window, her thoughts were not of Otis, but of Casey. It wasn't until the scene where the Pink Ladies and the T-Birds were in the bowling alley singing "Score Tonight" that snapped Brett out of her thoughts about Casey. She raised up and stretched her arms. Her shoulders were stiff. Kyle never gave her a massage like Otis and Cruz did. Kyle never noticed when Brett would give him hints that she wanted a massage or wanted to just cuddle. Instead, Kyle was just so stiff about everything, which caused him and Brett to bicker at times. Casey noticed her slowly drifting off to sleep. It was around 9:00 p.m. and Brett was tired. Between the argument with Kyle and her engagement ending, the trip from Fowlerton to Chicago, everyone welcoming her back home, and spending time with Casey, Brett was exhausted.

"You tired?" Casey asked Brett, who was half awake and half asleep.

"A little." Brett yawned.

"Why don't you go to bed. I'll be fine." Casey suggested.

"Are you sure?" Brett asked.

"Yeah. You need to get your beauty sleep if you are gonna be ready to have fun tomorrow." he teased.

She was still laying on Casey's lap and she gave him a little smile. She slowly raised her body up and then stood up. She stretched a little bit but kept rubbing her shoulders.

"Shoulders hurting?" Casey asked.

"Yeah. Probably just from all the stress of everything. No big deal." Brett said as she turned towards her bedroom.

As she started walking, Casey stopped her.

"Come here." he motioned for her to sit down beside him.

She hesitated for a minute and then sat beside him.

"Here. Let me." he insisted.

She wasn't gonna argue. She turned her back to him so that he could massage her shoulders and neck for her. She was aching all over. Ever since the fire that killed Otis, her body has ached and hurt. Kyle was no good at helping. He constantly saw Brett trying to rub her neck and shoulders and not once did he offer to help her out. Casey, on the other hand, took notice the very first time he saw her do that and waited for his chance to help her. He did't wanna scare her, so he waited but when he saw her do it again, he couldn't help himself. He knew she was in pain.

"Ah..." Brett said as Casey gently rubbed her shoulder.

"Sorry." Casey whispered.

"It's ok. It feels good. I just didn't realize how much I had been hurting." she explained.

"How long have you had this knot near your shoulders and neck?" he asked.

"Uh, I'm not sure. It started hurting after Kyle and I went to Fowlerton." she chimmed in.

"You mean to tell me that this has been hurting you since the fire?" he questioned with concern.

"Yeah but I didn't think anything of it." she said and then winced a little more.

"Do you have a heating pad?" he asked.

"Yeah." she said as she started to get up to get it.

"Oh no. You tell me where it is and I'll get it. Tonight, you are gonna relax." he teased.

"It's in the closet over there. Top shelf." she said as she told Casey where the heating pad was.

Casey walked over to the closet, grabbed the heating pad, and walked back over to the couch. There was an extension cord that was beside the couch and Casey plugged in the heating pad. He turned it on and waited for it to get warmed before placing it on Brett's lower back.

"Better?" he asked.

"Much, but my neck and shoulders are killing me." she softly replied.

"I can fix that." he said as he continued to massage the knot out of her neck and shoulders.

The more he rubbed and massaged her, the more tired she got. Her back had been killing her and Casey could tell. After about an hour of massaging her neck and shoulders, he stopped. Brett took the heating pad off and began to feel more relaxed.

"I know I'm not a massage therapist, but I did the best I could." he joked.

"No, no. It feels better. I feel better. Thank you." she smiled.

"Anytime." he smiled back.

Brett stood up and then walked over to the closet where she grabbed a pillow and blanket for Casey to use for the night. She handed him the pillow and blanket.

"Help yourself to the kitchen. I'm gonna go grab a shower and get ready for bed." she said with a spunk.

There's that spunk that Casey liked about Brett. She went from being down and out to being her spunky self again.

"Alright." he said as Brett walked into her bedroom.

She grabbed her pajamas and then walked towards the bathroom. She closed the bathroom door and turned the shower on. She adjusted the water temperature to her liking and after getting undressed, she got in the shower. She washed up and then washed her hair. Once she got out of the shower and got dressed,  
she walked out with the wet towels and placed them on the washer in the laundry room beside the kitchen and then she came back to the living room. Casey saw her walk past him wearing her grey fleece pajama bottoms and a light pink spaghetti strap shirt.

"Hey, I am gonna get a glass of water before I go to bed. Do you want anything?" Brett said as she grabbed a glass from the cabinet.

"No, I'm good. Thanks, though." Casey replied.

After she got a glass of water, she walked towards her room.

"Goodnight." she cheerfully said.

"Goodnight." he replied with a smile.

Brett went into her bedroom and closed the door halfway. She got into bed and starting thinking about the goregous man that was in her living room. Why didn't she do something to let him know that she wanted him? Was her game off? Was it something she did or say? A million thoughts were running through her head. The same thoughts were going through Casey's head as well. He wanted her. He wanted to kiss her but how. How does he let the woman that has been there for him through the whole Gabby situation, know that he has some sort of feelings for her but isn't sure how to act on them? He wasn't sure about that. He wasn't sure what he was going to do but playing this flirting game was kind of fun to him. Secretly, Brett liked the flirting game too. She liked the game of cat and mouse between her and Casey. It was fresh and new to her. It was midnight and Brett still couldn't get to sleep. She raised up from her bed and turned the lamp on that was sitting on her nightstand. Casey had trouble sleeping so when Brett turned the lamp on in her room, he noticed. Curious, he raised up from the couch and tried to peak inside her room to see what she was doing. Brett was sitting on her bed looking at her iPod. She hooked her earbuds up to the iPod so that when she played music, it wouldn't wake up Casey. Little did she know that Casey was up. She found a song that she liked and pressed play. She adjusted the volume to her liking and then got out of bed. She had forgotten that she didn't close her all the way so when Casey saw Brett get out of bed, he was curious. He watched as she grabbed what looked like a notebook and pen from the top nightstand drawer and saw her writing something.

"It's been four months since I've seen you. I came back home today, or yesterday since it's now after midnight. So much has happened. I can't believe it's been a week since I've written you. I wish you were here. Any time I needed advice or just needed a good friend or laugh, you were there. You gave me hope when I thought there was none. There will never be another you. There will never be another smile that comes across your face. I don't know what to do right now. Gabby is one of my best friends and I know that she and Casey aren't together anymore, but I can't help but feel something for him. I don't know if it's because we got close after Gabby left and then we had that huge fight before I left to go to Fowlerton, or if it's truly something more than that. We apologized to each other over what happened. You know, I did our thing with Casey tonight. I hope you're not mad at me. Casey and I were watching Grease and I somehow ended up laying my head on his lap just like I did with you when you were here and we had our Movie Night Fridays. Cruz stayed with Chloe tonight so Casey and I hung out. In a way, I felt like I was betraying our tradition but I know you would want all of us to be happy. I can hear you telling Casey that he's taking Cruz's place and has to describe what the scene was about or something like that. I am having so much trouble getting to sleep and I wish you were here. I saw your soap in the bathroom today. I broke down crying in front of Casey because I saw your bedroom door that Cruz and I kept shut. I didn't realize just how much I had missed you until today. I'll promise I'll write you more than I have been.

Love, Sylvie."

Brett had used writing a technique to help her cope with what happened with everything. It was a technique she used to talk to Otis whenever she needed to talk. It was therapeutic to her and helped her so much. Casey heard Brett crying as she put her notebook and pen back into the drawer of the nightstand.

"Brett, are you alright?" Casey asked with a concerned tone.

She heard Casey ask the question over her music and quickly wiped the tears away.

"Uh, yeah. Just my allergies." Brett called out.

Casey knew better than that. He got up from the couch and walked over to her bedroom door and gave it knock.

"It's me. May I come in?" he asked.

Brett knew Casey was concerned and she didn't even hesitate to answer.

"Uh, yeah. Sure." she responded.

He carefully opened the door and saw that she had been crying. He walked over to her, sat on the bed next to her, and pulled her into a hug. She couldn't stop the tears from falling down her face. She just held onto him as if it was the last time she would see him. 


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

After crying on Casey's shoulder again, Brett pulled away slowly. Casey wiped the tears from her face.

"It's ok." Casey whispered.

"I know." Brett quietly replied.

"If you don't mind me asking, what were you doing?" Casey asked.

"You mean besides listening to some sad love song on my iPod?" she giggled.

"Yeah, besides that." he replied.

"This." she said as she pulled out the notebook from the nightstand.

She handed Casey the notebook and he took it.

"What's this?" he asked as he looked at the notebook.

"Letters. Four months of letters." she said.

He looked back at the notebook and then back up to Brett.

"Open it." she whispered.

Casey opened the notebook to the first page.

"Don't be afraid. You can read it. You're the only one who has seen what I've written." she replied.

Casey looked down at the first page and started reading it.

"Dear Otis, I hope you are having fun wherever you are right now. Casey and I had a fight and I'm not sure if it can be fixed. Cruz is having it the hardest out of all of us. You were his best friend. So, Kyle and I moved to Fowlerton and I already miss home. I miss you and the whole house. I'm not sure if being with Kyle and being in Fowlerton is something I want. Until next time.

Love, Sylvie"

Casey read the letter out loud and then looked at Brett, who had tears in her eyes.

"You wrote a letter to Otis?" Casey asked.

"Yeah. I wrote four months of letters. Once a week for four months. I got a little behind after I tried to adjust to life back in Fowlerton, but I decided to write him tonight to catch him up on everything. I know it sounds crazy and Kyle never could understand why I did this. You would think with him being a Chaplain, he would understand but he didn't. I started writing to Otis as a way to heal from the fire and everything. I know it sounds crazy but it helps." Brett explained.

"I get it. You know, it's never easy losing someone. I lost my ex, Hallie, to a fire, I thought my life was gonna be over. Then Gabby and I got close and I forgot about the pain for a little while. Then every time she and I would fight, I would remember losing Hallie and then I would end up in a dark place. We all cope with loss in different ways, so if this helps you, then keep doing it." he said as he took Brett's hand in his.

Brett squeezed his hand and gave him a hug. After giving him a hug, she slowly pulled away. Both of them were leaning close to each other. Casey could hear Brett's breathing getting a little harder. She could hear Casey's breathing doing the same thing. As they slowly pulled apart, Casey reached his hand up to Brett's face and pushed back the piece of hair that was in her eyes. He looked at her and she looked at him.

"Sylvie." Casey whispered.

"Matt." Brett whispered back.

"Can I?" Casey asked.

"Yes." Brett said.

Casey gently pulled Brett into a kiss. It wasn't a hot steamy make out with me kind of kiss. It was slow and passionate. Not too passionate but it had just enough passion in the kiss that sent chills down both of their spines. It was the kind of kiss that felt like a first kiss between two teenagers who didn't know what to do. It was sweet and perfect, at least to the two of them. After a few minutes, they pulled away. Brett looked at him and smiled.  
He gave her a smile back.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" Brett asked.

"I thought I already was." Casey replied.

"Hey Casey, would you mind shutting the door?" Brett whispered as she pointed to her bedroom door.

Casey got up off the bed and walked over to the door and closed it. He made sure it latched and then walked back over to the bed.

"Will you hold me?" Brett whispered in a soft but low voice.

"Absolutely." Casey replied in a low but deep voice.

Brett laid back down on the bed and Casey crawled over her to the other side. He pulled the blanket down so he could cuddle next to Brett and then pulled the blank up to his waist. He then took one arm and let Brett use it as a pillow and then wrapped his other arm around her small waist. He smiled at the fact that he had been dreaming about this for so long and now it was finally happening. Brett was smiling too. Her back was against Casey's body. Having his arms around her felt amazing and felt right. It didn't take long for the both of them to fall asleep. They didn't set an alarm and both of them were off for the day. Cruz came in around 8:00 a.m. to grab a shower and to change clothes. He saw that Brett's bedroom door was closed and that there was a pillow and blanket on the couch. After he got ready, he looked outside and saw Casey's truck. He realized that Casey might have spent the night. In Brett's bedroom, Casey heard Cruz out in the main area of the apartment. Brett woke up about the same time Casey did and heard Cruz. Casey and Brett looked at each other, gave a small quiet laugh to each other, and came up with a quick cover story. Brett's door got "jammed" and Casey was "fixing" it.

"Good as new." Casey said as he opened Brett's bedroom door.

"Thanks, Casey." Brett laughed.

"What's going on?" Cruz asked.

"My door got jammed somehow this morning. I was trying to get it opened but it would budge. I had to get Casey to fix it." Brett covered.

"Why didn't I hear anything when I came in?" Cruz questioned.

"I was concentrating on getting the bolt back in the door. Turns out, Brett got a shirt caught in the door. Go figure." Casey laughed.

"Sounds like Brett. I remember there was one night that the bathroom door got jammed because Brett slammed it so hard." Cruz teased.

"It's not my fault the stupid door didn't latch." Brett defended herself.

"I'm glad you are back home, Brett. When do you start back?" Cruz asked.

"Monday morning at 8." Brett cheerfully said.

"So, what are you guys doing today? I'm heading in at noon. Just came by to grab some clothes and a shower. I'm going to stay at Chloe's tonight. She's working the evening shift, so she won't be off until I get off. Is that alright?" Cruz asked Brett.

"Yeah. I gotta call Foster and see what time she wants me to come over." Brett said.

"Alright. Well, I gotta take Chloe to work and then get to work myself. See you later, roomie." Cruz said as he gave Brett a hug before leaving.

After Cruz left, Casey and Brett started laughing. They couldn't believe that Cruz bought the lie they told. As they headed to the kitchen to get something to drink, Brett's phone rang. It was Foster.

"Hey Emily, what's up?" Brett asked.

"Hey Brett, we can't hang out tonight. Turns out that my family are coming in to see me unexpectedly. Can we hang out tomorrow?" Foster asked.

"Sure. That's fine. I know how that can be." Brett replied.

"See you tomorrow." Foster said as she hung up the phone.

"So, what's going on with Foster?" Casey casually asked.

"Her family came in, so ater her shift, she is going to see them. Looks like I'm all yours for today." Brett cheerfully said.

A thought crossed Casey's mind. If Foster broke off plans for tonight and Cruz is gonna be gone, why couldn't he stay here another night? Brett noticed the smile that crept across Casey's face.

"Well, I did ask you to go sight seeing, so when do you wanna go?" Casey asked.

"Since it was a rough night, can we just go back to bed and sleep." Brett suggested.

Casey gave her a funny look.

"I'm serious. I'm am literally so tired that I can't see straight." Brett complained.

Casey could tell that Brett was exhausted. Given everything that has happened over the last 24 hours, how could he deny her what she wanted? He couldn't help it. He caved in.

"Well, why don't we go back in there and just cuddle. I'm tired as well. This last week at work has been exhausting." he yawned.

They walked back to Brett's room, closed her bedroom door, and then crawled into bed. Brett snuggled up to Casey and rested her head against his chest with one of her arms wrapped around him. Casey wrapped both arms around her and rested his head on top of Brett's. It didn't take Brett long to fall back to sleep. Brett started to snore just a little bit and Casey couldn't help but smile with a very soft laugh. Casey couldn't help but watch as Brett continued to sleep. After nearly an hour of watching her sleep, he finally fell asleep. Around noon, Brett started stirring. She saw that Casey was awake and was curious as to how long he had been awake.

"How long have you been awake?" Brett asked.

"About an hour." Casey smiled.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" she asked.

"You looked so cute sleeping and snoring, that I didn't want to wake you." he joked.

"I do not snore." she laughed.

"Yes you do, but it's cute and so are you, so I let it pass." he teased.

"Oh really?" she giggled.

She playfully hit him.

"Oh, it's on." he joked as he started tickling her.

They had a tickle fight that lasted for several minutes before Brett gave up.

"You win! You win!" she screamed with laughter.

"I was hoping you would say that." he teased.

He leaned in and gave her another kiss. He kissed her softly. Brett enjoyed how he kissed her. Their kisses weren't the heavy make out kind, but more of that of teenagers who are shy. It was a nice change for both of them. The Dawson siblings did a number on them. Gabby had this cat and mouse game she constantly played with Casey's heart. One minute she wants to be with him, the next she wants to leave. It went back and forth for years until Gabby finally decided that she didn't love Casey enough to stay with him. Gabby loved Casey, but she felt the passion was gone and didn't want to lead Casey on. Casey had to mend a broken heart and if it weren't for Brett, Casey would have lost himself more than he already had. Brett helped mend his broken heart. Hallie would always be Casey's first love and Gabby would always hold a place for Gabby in his heart, but Brett was slowly stealing his heart and knew that she wouldn't be like the others. He saw first hand how the men Brett had been with, treated her. When her ex fiancee, Harrison, came to Chicago to find Brett and get back together with her, Casey saw how Harrison treated Brett and it made his blood boil. He was proud that Brett ended it with that control freak. Then there was the time that she and Cruz dated very briefly but unlike her ex, Cruz was a great guy, but not the guy for her and they remain great friends to this day. Casey was a little jealous that Cruz dated Brett but he never said anything. Then there was Sean Roman of CPD. She kissed him but nothing really came from it. Then, she admitted to Jimmy Borelli that she had feelings for him but that never amounted to anything. Then,  
there was Antonio. It started out as a very flirtatious relationship and over time, they fell hard for each other but it never did work out for them. That relationship was a disaster from day one but she was very attracted to Antonio. Casey understood how she felt, considering that he felt the same about Gabby. He knew his relationship with Gabby was a disaster from day one but that never stopped him. Lastly, there was Kyle and well, that was one relationship that Brett would like to forget about. Kyle wasn't a bad person, but she tried to move past her feeling for Casey by dating Kyle. She felt so wrong for having feelings for Casey because of Gabby but after all was said and done, she just couldn't be with him. She tried so hard to be the woman that Kyle wanted her to be but ultimately, she missed Chicago and she missed Casey the most.

"So, what do you say we get out of here and go sight seeing." she smiled.

"This is your day. Whatever you want." he teased.

Brett grabbed a change of clothes and headed to the bathroom to get a shower. Casey went down to his truck to grab a change of clothes. He always kept a change of clothes in a duffle bag in his car. He grabbed his duffle bag and came back to the apartment. Brett had just gotten out of the shower and was getting dressed when she heard Casey come back in. After she got dressed, she came out of the bathroom.

"All yours." she cheerfully told him.

She gave him a big smile and before he walked into the bathroom, he gently gabbed her hand. He pulled her close to him and he gave her a quick kiss and then walked off to take a shower. As he walked into the bathroom, Brett was in her room brushing her hair and she even put on a little makeup. Nothing fancy. Just some eyeshadow and eyeliner to brighten up her eyes. She was dressed in blue jeans, a yellow cami underneat a yellow short sleeve dress shirt, and white slip on shoes for walking. She heard Casey come out of the bathroom dressed in blue jeans, his black boots, and a blue t-shirt.

"So, where do you wanna go first?" Casey asked with his gorgeous smile.

"surprise me." Brett challenged.

"You got it. Are you ready to go?" Casey asked.

"Yep." Brett said as she grabbed her purse off the counter in the kitchen.

She had a small purse with a strap that she threw criss crossed over her shoulders. She grabbed her keys and locked the door behind them as they left the apartment. They walked to Casey's truck and got in it. Casey then drove out of the driveway and to Willis Tower so that Brett could see the Chicago Skyline. Casey saw the look in her eyes as he parked the car. She couldn't help but smile and get excited. This had been on her bucket list since she first moved to Chicago.

"So, what do you say we go look at the beautiful Chicago Skyline?" Casey smiled.

"Let's go." Brett said as they both got out of the parked truck.

They walked in and headed to the Skydeck part of the building. Casey had bought the tickets the night before and presented them to the people in charge.  
He and Brett walked in and took in the scene. This was a perfect start to a perfect day. 


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

After Brett and Casey left the Willis Tower, he took her to the Chicago Theatre, where he surprised her with tickets to tour the venue.

"Casey, are you serious?" Brett squeeled in excitement.

"I am. I wish it was a show, but there wasn't one playing and I thought this might be the next best thing." Casey smiled back.

"Casey, just the thought of you even doing this, it means a lot to me." Brett softly said as she gave Casey a quick kiss on the cheek.

Casey blushed. It wasn't often that he blushed in front of anyone, but he did with Brett.

"Don't worry about it. I just want you to have one fun day of freedom before work starts back." Casey joked.

"It's working. I'm having the best time. You know, this is the first day in a very, very long time, that I have felt alive." she told Casey.

"I'm glad you are having fun. I just wanna see you happy." he softly said.

Brett was feeling like her old self again. The weight of the world had been lifted off of her shoulders. It had been a long time since she felt like everything was going to be find. She hated that she hurt Kyle, but she just couldn't love him the way he wanted her too. She loved Kyle, she really did, but once they were in Fowlerton, everything changed. It was almost as if Kyle wanted her to be a stay at home wife, like the type you see in the old movies and TV shows like Little House on the Prairie. Kyle didn't understand that Brett wanted to work and given that Fowlerton was a small community, there wasn't much to do. She tried, but ultimately, she had to get out of that situation. Kyle could see that Brett wasn't happy. He knew the moment they came to Fowlerton, that she wasn't happy. Matthew Casey was the only one who knew just exactly what Brett wanted and needed. They arrived at the Chicago Theatre and did the tour, which took about an hour or so.

"You ready for some more fun?" Casey teased.

"Uh, yeah!" Brett excitedly said.

They got out of the truck and walked in. Inside stood a line of about ten people waiting for the tour. They showed their tickets to the box office and then got in line where the other people were. An older woman, about the same age as Chief Boden, appeared.

"Good afternoon. My name is Lydia and I will be your tour guide. Shall we get started?" Lydia said.

They started the tour and Lydia gave speeches about everything from the decor and the theatre itself, to the story behind how the theatre was built, to a list of up and coming shows that will be shown in the theatre. After the tour was over, Brett and Casey left. They decided to go get something to eat. They headed to a small pizza restaurant and ordered a large pepperoni and cheese pizza with sweet tea.

"Would you like anything else?" the waiter asked Brett and Casey.

They shook their heads to let the waiter know that they didn't want anything else.

"Alright. I'll bring it out as soon as it's ready." the waiter said.

The waiter left and went to put in their order.

"Thank you, for everything." Brett smiled.

"No need to thank me. Just seeing you happy makes me happy." Casey smiled.

"I don't think I have ever seen you smile as much as you have since I've been back." Brett noted.

"Well, I haven't had much of a reason to smile." Casey replied.

"I will admit, you were right. You told me so. I should have listened to you when you tried to talk me out of leaving." she explained.

"No, I get it. Remember how I was with you when Gabby left? Well, I had to learn things the hard way. It's a part of life." he explained.

The waiter brought out their drinks and then left to check on is other tables.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, were you and your parents always close?" Casey asked.

There it was. The subject that Brett dreaded talking about. It was something that she wasn't sure how to bring up or how to talk about it, but knew at some point, it was going to be brought up.

"Oh, uh, that's sort of a long story. When I was born, I was put into the system. I grew up in foster homes. It wasn't until I was around 8 or 9 years old that my parents adopted me. I was placed in the foster home with them when I was 7 and they treated me like their own daughter. I remember helping my mom in the kitchen with dinner one night and she told me that she and my dad had something they wanted to ask me. They asked me if they could adopt me. I remember being so excited. It took the courts forever to let my parents adopt me, but the day that I was adopted, was the happiest day of my life. I remember thinking that I now had a family, a real family, who didn't want to abandon me at the firehouse or hospital because they didn't want me. It was the day I gained a mother, a father, and a brother. Growing up in Indiana, Fowlerton specificallly, wasn't always the best. We didn't have a lot of money and my mom always wanted me to become a lawyer or a doctor. I chose to become a paramedic. When I came to Chicago, my parents had a hard time forgiving me for leaving them, but I'm a city girl at heart. I love Chicago. I love our firehouse family. My parents did their best but I just never really felt like I belonged there or with them. Don't get me wrong, I love my parents, I really do, but there was always something missing." Brett explained.

Casey was in shock. He had no idea about the hard times Brett had growing up. He knew she was adopted, but that's about it.

"Sylvie, I am so sorry." Casey apologized.

"It's ok. After telling my mom about Chicago and having her visit one weekend, she and my dad finally understood why I left Fowlerton and finally accepted that being a paramedic is what I love to do." Brett explained.

"I'm proud of you. I'm not sure if anyone has ever told you that, but I am. You've been through so much and have overcame so many things. How could I not be proud of you? I know for a fact, that the whole house is proud of you." Casey told her.

Just then, the waiter came out and brought their pizza to them. The waiter sat the pizza down on the table with some plates and after asking if they needed any refills or needed anything before he left, they told him no. The waiter left and they began to eat their pizza.

"Oh my..." Brett said as she devoured the pizza.

"I know." Casey replied as he took a bite.

Brett hadn't had Chicago pizza in months. She forgot how amazing it tasted. Watching Brett eat the pizza was the highlight of his day. He got a kick out of seeing her laugh and smile. She was right. She hadn't seen him smile or laugh as much as he had been lately. In fact, she was the reason for him to smile. After they finished eating, Casey paid for the food, much to Brett's surprise.

"You didn't have to do that." Brett said.

"I know but I wanted to do this for you. Come on, enjoy this day." Casey laughed.

"You win." she smiled.

Once they got into the truck, Casey drove them down to the pier. The scene was absolutely beautiful. Brett enjoyed walking around the pier with Casey. The smell of the water mixed with the beautiful sun glaring off the water made the scene perfect.

"I've never seen a more beautiful view than this." Brett said as she took in the scene around her.

"I have." Casey said as he looked at Brett.

Brett looked at Casey with a curious look.

"Really?" she questioned.

"I'm looking at a beautiful view right now." he whispered in a low voice.

The cat and mouse game between the two continued on the rest of the night. Both of them knew exactly what they were doing and both were perfectly fine taking their time and seeing what happens between them. It was around 6:00 p.m. when they left the pier and headed back to Brett's apartment. Once they were there and they walked into the apartment, Brett yelled for Cruz to see if he was there and then checked the apartment. No sign of Cruz and the two of them were tired. They walked over to the couch and sat down.

"I didn't realize how badly my feet hurt." Brett cried.

"Here. Let me." Casey said.

Brett placed her feet on top of Casey's lap. He took her shoes and socks off and proceeded to give her a foot massage. Brett let out a small moan. Casey let out a small laugh.

"Matthew Casey, who in the world taught you how to give such good massages?" she teased.

"I taught myself. My mom killed my dad when I was young and my brother was murdered by a gunman. My sister, my niece, and my nephew are all the family I have now. My sister and I grew apart after our mom killed our dad. He was very abusive, both physically and verbally. I don't like talking about that.  
I know I need too, but I hate it." Casey explained.

Brett pulled her feet off of Casey's lap and sat up. She gave him a huge hug and then kissed him on the cheek. He returned the favor and kissed her on the cheek as well. As they pulled apart, Casey brought his hands up to Brett's face and brushed a piece of hair out of her face before slowly giving her a kiss. It was a sweet and tender kiss, one that Brett found to be refreshing. Casey knew that Brett might not be ready to move on just yet, but he wanted to let her know that when she is ready to move on, he's there for her. Brett wanted to be with Casey as more than a friend but she wasn't ready for that. She loved their kisses and this kiss was nothing short of magical. They pulled away after the slow kiss and Casey held her. After talking for a few minutes, both of them decided to go to bed. Casey had to be at work at 8:00 a.m. on a Sunday, which wasn't unusal for him. He had told Boden to schedule him for Sunday through Thursday so he could spend all day Sunday working on paper work. Boden agreed, considering that things have been crazy lately with the house. Brett changed into her pajamas in her bedroom, while Casey threw on a pair of black sweat pants in the bathroom. He came out and walked towards Brett's bedroom. He knocked on the door to make sure it was ok for him to come in. When she gave him the ok to come into her bedroom, he opened the door and walked in her room, closing the door behind him. They crawled into her bed and she rested her head on his bare chest and wrapped one arm around his waist. He wrapped both arms around her and held her close to him. She had never felt more wanted or loved than in this moment.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

As Brett and Casey cuddled throughout the night, Brett started having a dream.

**Brett's Dream:**

"Otis!" Brett yelled.

Otis didn't answer. Just as she called out for him again, she got trapped under some rubble with her wrist being broken.

"Brett!" Foster called out.

"I'm trapped! Broken wrist, possibly a broken arm! Get me some help!" Brett cried out.

"You don't deserve to be saved. You left Kyle broken hearted so you could go after your best friend's ex." Foster laughed.

"What? No." Brett said.

"Because of you, Otis is dead." Foster laughed.

**End of Brett's Dream.**

Brett jolted up from the bed gasping for air. Casey woke up and was concerned for Brett.

"Hey, hey, hey. Are you ok?" Casey asked.

"No. This dream I had was surreal." Brett said trying to catch her breath.

"What was it about?" Casey asked, concerned about Brett.

"We were in the fire at the mattress warehouse and I called out for Otis but he wasn't responding. Before I knew it, I got pinned under some rubble and Emily yelled for me. I yelled back to her that I was trapped and then she started going off on me for leaving Kyle and going after you. Emily then accused me of stealing you from Gabby." Brett explained.

"It was just a dream. Gabby and I are no longer together and we are free to see whoever we want. If it's ok with you, I would like to continue to get to know you outside of work and see where this goes. We don't have to rush into anything, but I wanna get to know you more." Casey said.

"I'd like that. I may ask Boden if I can come in tomorrow. I've missed work so much." Brett said.

"I'm sure it won't be a problem but don't you and Foster have plans for tomorrow?" Casey asked.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that." Brett admitted.

"Hey, I'm here for you. I'm not going anywhere. I promise." Casey said.

"Don't make promises you can't keep." Brett answered.

"I won't but this is one promise that I intend on keeping." Casey said.

He gave her a quick kiss on the head and then they both went back to bed. Casey double checked his phone to make sure that the alarm was set to wake him up in the morning and then he pulled Brett close to him. Brett quickly fell back to sleep and then Casey shortly after. The next morning, Casey's alarm went off which woke the two of them up. He turned the alarm off on his phone and then looked at Brett.

"Good morning, beautiful." he smiled.

"Good morning." she smiled.

He leaned in and kissed her softly. She returned the kiss and then they both got up. He went to the bathroom to take a shower and get ready for the day.  
She got up and made some coffee while Casey was taking a shower. About twenty minutes later, Casey came out of the bathroom.

"You want a cup of coffee?" Brett asked.

"Yeah." Casey said as he walked over towards the kitchen.

Brett handed Casey a cup of coffe the way he liked it. Working at a firehouse, you learn what type of coffee, food, and so on everyone likes. Casey took the cup of coffee and drank it. After he had finished, he gave Brett a smoldering look, leaned in, and then kissed her goodbye. She returned the kiss and then Casey left.

"I'll see you later." Casey smiled.

Brett smiled back and waved goodbye to Casey. She walked over to the window and watched as Casey got into his truck. As he pulled out, he stopped to look at Brett in the window, gave her a smile, waved at her, and then drove off to the firehouse. Casey arrived at Firehouse 51 and walked to his office. He closed the door to his office and closed the blinds. As he started filling out paper work, he got a call from an all too familiar number.

"Hello?" Casey answered.

"Matt, hey, it's me. I'm in town for a few days and was wondering if you would like to meet up with me and go to this awards dinner ball with me." the familiar voice said.

"I can't. You can't just call me out of the blue and expect me to just drop whatever I have planned." Casey said in a firm voice.

He was livid. How dare this person call after months of not talking.

"Matt, we need to talk. Can I come see you?" the familiar voiced asked.

"Yeah. I'm at the office." Casey said.

"I'll be there in ten minutes." the familiar voice said.

Casey hung up the phone and was livid. The one person he didn't wanna see was coming to see him. Just then, his phone rang with a text message that made him smile from ear to ear.

"WISH YOU WERE HERE. CRUZ IS DRIVING ME NUTS. SEE YOU TOMORROW. - BRETT" she texted.

"I MISS YOUR BEAUTIFUL FACE. - CASEY" he replied.

Just then, he heard a knock on his door. He opened it and saw the one person he didn't want too. Gabby.

"Hey, we need to talk." Gabby said.

"Yeah, we do." Casey replied.

"Matt, I love you and I always will but I was hoping that you would be my date to this ball for the charity I'm working with in Puerto Rico." Gabby said.

"Gabby, I can't. It's got nothing to do with work, but I just can't. It took me months to get over you. When you sent those divorce papers that you signed, it nearly broke me. I decided to sign them too and move on. You and I are done. You made your choice when you decided to walk out of my life. Do you know what that felt like? If it weren't for Brett, Severide, Cruz, Boden, and the whole house, I wouldn't be here right now." Casey said in anger.

"I know and I'm sorry." Gabby responded.

"Gabby, what we had was special, but I can't do this with you. Not anymore. Good luck on your charity ball and all that comes with it, but leave me out of it." Casey said in frustration.

"Can we still be friends?" Gabby asked.

"Yeah, but there's something you should know." Casey warned Gabby.

Gabby gave him a look.

"Ok." Gabby replied.

"Brett came home Friday. She was having a rough night and I stayed with her at her apartment. I'm not sure what's going on between us, but I know that I can't hurt her. She's been through a lot and she and I have more in common that I thought we did." Casey explained.

Gabby was shocked. Gabby considered Sylvie to be one of her best friends.

"Wow, I don't know what to say." Gabby said.

"There's more. Brett was engaged to Chaplain Kyle Sheffield. She and Kyle moved to Fowlerton shortly after the mattress warehouse fire and the one time she did call, Foster and Cruz said that Brett wasn't herself. Stella and Foster went to Fowlerton and brought her home. She starts back to work tomorrow. The thing is, she's having nightmares about the fire. It's worse than any of us could have thought. She and I started talking about the fire and about Otis. It seemed to help her." Casey explained.

After processing all that Casey had just told her, Gabby gave him a slight smile.

"Case, you deserve to be happy. I want nothing but the best for you and everyone here, including Brett. If you and Brett are in the process of seeing where things go, then go for it. To be honest, I have something I need to tell you." Gabby said, afraid to know what Casey would say or do.

"Alright." Casey replied.

"I met someone in Puerto Rico. In fact, he insisted on me coming to Chicago to see you and talk things out with you so that when I go back, you and I didn't leave things on bad terms." Gabby said.

"That's good. I'm happy for you, Gabby." Casey said.

"Thanks. One more thing. The guy I met, well, you know him." Gabby said.

Casey gave her a questioning look.

"Who?" Casey asked.

"Peter." Gabby replied.

"Mills? You and Mills? Gabby, I'm happy for you." Casey said.

"Thanks." Gabby replied.

After hashing out everything from their past and deciding to be friends, Gabby left. The first thing that Casey did was call Brett to tell her what happened. To his surprise, Brett was very understanding.

"So, you're not mad?" Casey asked.

"No, of course not. If Kyle came by to talk to me like Gabby came to talk to you, I would need that closure in order to move on." Brett said.

"I guess you're right. So, why don't I come by after my shift is over before you go to Foster's." Casey hoped.

"Well, Foster's family isn't leaving until in the morning, so she and I are post poning our girls night. You can come stay the night with me if you want. Cruz came home for a bit with Chloe but then left to spend time with her. So, I'm home alone right now." Brett said.

"Would you maybe wanna come to the firehouse and see me or is that too soon?" Casey asked.

"I'll be there in thirty minutes." Brett smiled.

"See you then, beautiful." Casey smiled as he and Brett hung up the phone.

Brett was a little hurt that Gabby showed up but completely understood the situation. There was something about the way that Casey called her beautiful that made her heart skip a beat in a good way. She grabbed her purse and her keys, locked the door behind her, and walked to the firehouse. It was only two blocks away. Brett made it to the firehouse and Casey was in his office doing paper work. She saw he had his door shut with the blinds closed. She knocked on the door and Casey opened it.

"Hey." Casey said with a smile on his face.

"Hey yourself." Brett returned the smile.

Brett noticed Casey's stack of paperwork.

"So, have you made any dent in that stack." Brett joked.

"Surprisingly, yeah. Wanna keep me company while I finish this last stack of papers?" Casey laughed.

"I thought that's what I was gonna do." Brett giggled.

"Good point. So, how's it feel to be back home where you belong?" Casey asked as he finished up his paper work.

"It feels great. You know, this place is home. There's nothing like being here." Brett smiled.

Casey and Brett continued to talk while Casey finished up his paperwork. Once he finished, he turned around to face Brett.

"So, what do you want to do?" Brett asked.

Casey let out a big yawn.

"Do you think that we could possibly take a nap? It's been nonstop crazy today." Casey said.

"Sure." Brett replied.

Casey walked over the bed as Brett stood up. He crawled into the bed and then Brett followed. Casey was laying on his right side and when Brett crawled into the bed, she snuggled up next to him with her back against Casey's body. Casey wrapped his arm around Brett and she put her hand on top of his and he laced his fingers through hers. They fell asleep within minutes. Both had been extremely tired due to all the events that have happened over the last few days. Thursday night, Casey and the rest of Squad 3 and Truck 8 had gotten called out to a fire at someone's house, which was easy to put out and everyone got out safely. Turns out, someone left the stove on by accident. Casey was glad that the house fire wasn't that bad but it was still a crazy shift. Mouch and Herrmann argued about whether or not to renovate Molly's, Boden was mad about the fact that Severide received a transfer to the OFI (Office of Fire Investigation), which really sent Severide through the roof. Severide wanted nothing to do with that department, but he wasn't given much of a choice. Commissioner Grissom told Severide that he had no business being at Firehouse 51 and that he belonged at OFI. Needless to say, Severide lashed out and his new partner was trying to take advantage of the situation. She flirted with Severide, knowing that Severide had a girlfriend (Stella), and at one point, she asked Severide if Casey was single. Both Severide and Casey had a bad feeling about Severide's new partner. Even Stella hated the idea of her boyfriend being at OFI. Still, the whole house was on edge all day Thursday. Casey was stressed out because now, Severide was gone and he had to take Severide's place on Squad 3 while also training the new candidate, Blake Gallo. It was crazy and Brett was about to see just how crazy and different things were now that she is back.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

An hour went by when they both stirred from the bed in Casey's office.

"How did you sleep?" Casey asked.

"I could ask you the same thing." Brett replied.

"I've never slept better." Casey smiled.

Just then, the alarm went off for Squad 3 to head out to a fire.

"That's me." Casey said as he jolted up out of the bed.

He gave her a kiss.

"I'll see you when I get back." Casey smiled before heading out.

"Sounds good." Brett replied as Casey left.

Casey got his gear on and headed out to the fire. Brett, who was at the firehouse, decided to see who all was working. To her surprise, she saw Herrmann.

"There's my girl!" Herrmann said as he walked over to give Brett a hug.

"Hi, Herrmann." Brett replied with a smile.

"How are you?" Herrmann asked as he pulled out of the hug.

"Good. You know, it's good to be back home." Brett smiled.

"I've got a little time if you wanna catch up. Mouch is asleep on the couch." Herrmann joked.

"I'd like that." Brett said.

They headed to the table that was in the common room of the firehouse.

"So, when do you start back?" Herrmann asked.

"Tomorrow. I've missed work." Brett sighed.

"I know that look. Sylvie, what's up?" Herrmann asked.

"I saw Otis's memorial outside and then I saw his memorial plaque on the wall. I guess I just miss him." Brett replied.

"We all do. Cruz is taking it the hardest from what I can tell. He comes to work and he will just randomly find something to do. Like the other day, for exampe, he was cleaning the toilets and the locker room and then he started sweeping this area up." Herrmann explained.

"He hasn't been to the apartment since I've been back. He stays at Chloe's. I guess the memories of Otis being at the apartment is too much for him to deal with right now." Brett explained.

"I will say that this firehouse has never been as cleaned as it has since Cruz started cleaning, so there's a bright side to things." Herrmann joked.

"That's true." Brett replied.

"So tell me, how bad was Fowlerton?" Herrmann asked.

"It was bad. I got there and all I kept thinking about was how much you guys needed me and I left you all to deal with everything by yourself." Brett explained.

"It's not your fault. It's no one's fault. You had to do what was best for you and in the end, you just have to learn from it. You and only you, can make your own decisions. You just have to figure out whether or not it was the best decision for yourself. Then, and only then, can you learn from it. I know it's not easy, but they say 'good things come to those who wait' and Sylvie, you have waited long enough. We have all seen you get hurt and we just want you to finally be happy. I'm just glad you are back here where you belong. Promise me, you won't leave us again." Herrmann said.

"I promise." Brett said.

They gave each other another hug before being interrupted by Severide, who was there on OFI business.

"So, Herrmann gets a hug and I don't?" Severide joked.

"Haha, very funny." Brett said as she stood up and gave Severide a hug.

"How are you?" Severide asked.

"I'm happy to be home. I heard you got transferred to OFI the day before I came home." Brett said.

"Yeah and then the day you came home was the day that I told Commissioner Grissom to let me finish the week with Squad before putting me in the OFI position. I might be good at OFI, but I'm great on Squad. I didn't work hard just to become an OFI member." Severide said.

"Well, you always have a place here at 51. I don't have to tell you that." Brett replied.

"True. Hey, have you seen Casey? I have to tell him something about one of the cases OFI has me working on." Severide said.

"Uh, I think I heard the alarm for Squad 3 go off." Brett said.

"Figures. So, have you met the new guy yet? Gallo?" Severide asked.

"I don't think so or maybe I did and it was a quick meeting." Brett said, confused.

"Well, Blake Gallo is who Casey chose to fill Otis's position. He seems like a cool kid but he's definitely no Otis. In fact, there's never gonna be another Otis." Severide somberly said.

"Yeah, I've barely seen Cruz since I've been back." Brett said.

"Don't take it personally. Cruz was the closest with Otis and losing him really tore Cruz up. He's slowly getting back to the old Cruz that we love and have missed, but I don't think he will ever be the same after what happened." Severide said.

Just then, Chief Boden showed up.

"Hey, I'll catch you later. I have to talk to Boden." Severide said.

"Alright." Brett said.

Severide gave her a hug.

"Welcome home." Severide said and then left to talk to Boden about the case he is working on.

Brett was feeling restless. She missed Casey but she also missed Cruz and the whole family she has at 51. As she started heading out the door, Blake Gallo and Darren Ritter showed up. Ritter had Tuesday, his dog, with him.

"Well, well, well. Look who is finally home." Ritter said with a huge smile.

"Hey Ritter." Brett said.

They gave each other a hug and then she saw Tuesday.

"Hi, Tuesday. I've missed you too." Brett said as Tuesday licked her and Brett petted Tuesday.

"Uh, Brett, this is Blake Gallo. Gallo, this is Sylvie Brett." Ritter introduced the two.

Brett and Gallo shook hands.

"I've heard a lot about you." Gallo said.

"Oh." Brett said in shock.

"Yeah, Casey and the others talk about how you are a great paramedic and a great friend." Gallo nervously said.

"Thanks." Brett replied.

Things felt a bit awkward, but that's because Gallo saw Brett and instantly developed a small crush on her.

"Hey Ritter, have you seen Foster?" Brett asked.

"She said her family came in but she's supposed to work today. Hold on and let me check." Ritter said.

Ritter went over to the garage bay and saw Foster working. He walked back into the common room and told Brett.

"She's out in the garage." Ritter said.

"Thanks, Ritter. See you later." Brett said as she walked to the garage.

She stepped into the garage and decided to sneak up on Foster.

"Boo!" Brett yelled as she scared Foster.

Foster jumped and then turned around to see her best friend, Brett, standing in front of her.

"What are you doing here? I thought you didn't start back until tomorrow." Foster said.

"I don't. I just needed to come see everyone." Brett replied.

"Yeah? How did that go?" Foster asked.

"Well, Herrmann and I talked about what happened. Then I saw Severide and we talked a bit. Then Ritter and the new guy, Gallo, showed up, and now I'm here. How's your weekend been with your family coming in?" Brett asked.

Foster gave Brett a look that meant one thing. It was a disaster.

"It's been a disaster. My mom and dad came in and they started chastising me about how being a paramedic is a useless job and how I shouldn't have cheated on my SATs. Then my mom said that I am an embarrassment to the family because I'm not a doctor like my one of my cousins. My dad doesn't agree with the fact that I am bisexual and he said it's a sin. In other words, this whole weekend has been a nightmare. My parents started arguing about where they went wrong in raising me. That's not even the best part. When I told them I had to work today, they simply told me that I should call in. It's been a nightmare." Foster explained.

"Why didn't you tell me? We could have came up with some excuse to get you out of there." Brett replied.

"I don't know. I don't get to see them that often and I figured this time would be different but it wasn't." Foster said.

The two ladies continued talking and catching up on things when Squad 3 arrived. Casey got out of the truck and took his gear off and then went over to where the girls were.

"How was the call?" Foster asked.

"Not as bad as you would think. Somebody lit a candle and it caught the curtains on fire. Nothing big but still dangerous." Casey replied.

Foster could sense that there was something going on between Casey and Brett.

"I'm gonna go take a nap until they call for me to go out on a call. It's exhausting dealing with family." Foster laughed as she walked away.

"What was that about?" Casey asked.

"Foster's family came in and they have been giving her the third degree about not being a doctor and becoming a paramedic instead." Brett answered.

"So, I get off shift in a few hours. Would you wanna go get some dinner with me?" Casey asked.

"Sure. Sounds like a plan." Brett smiled.

"Come here." Casey said as he took her hands and quietly walked behind Truck 81.

They couldn't help but giggle a little bit.

"I feel like a teenager, sneaking around." Brett giggled.

"So do I but I've wanted to do this since I left for the call." Casey said as he caressed Brett's face.

Casey pulled Brett into a soft kiss. She returned the kiss. They continued to kiss for a few minutes before hearing Mouch and Gallo come in.

"What do we do?" Brett asked as if she and Casey had been caught.

"Follow my lead." Casey said as he kissed her quickly and then pulled away.

"We have a lot to catch up on." Casey said out loud to let Mouch and Gallo know that they weren't alone.

"Yeah, we do. Just walking around here and seeing everyone feels good. It's home." Brett smiled.

They walked around from the truck to make it look like they were just walking around.

"Brett!" Mouch said.

"Hey, Mouch!" Brett replied.

Mouch gave Brett a big hug and then pulled away.

"Herrmann and Foster said you were here." Mouch said.

"Yeah. I start back tomorrow but wanted to come see everyone before I come back tomorrow." Brett explained.

"That's good. Oh, have you met Gallo?" Mouch asked.

"Uh yeah, I met him earlier when I ran into Ritter and Tuesday." Brett said.

Gallo tried to hide his crush on Brett but it was painfully obvious.

"So, 7:00 for dinner?" Casey asked.

"Sounds great." Brett smiled.

"I'll pick you up then." Casey smiled back.

Casey pulled Brett into a hug and whispered in her ear.

"Wear a dress." Casey teased.

Casey pulled away and headed towards his office.

"Hey, have you seen Joe?" Brett asked.

Mouch and Gallo gave her a look.

"Uh, I think Cruz is in the common room." Mouch said.

"Thanks Mouch. See you later." Brett said as she headed for the common room.

Mouch looked at Gallo, who looked like he was in love.

"Don't even think about it." Mouch said.

"What? Why?" Gallo said.

"We just got her home after a failed engagement. She left after Otis's death. She, Otis, and Cruz all shared an apartment together. They were the Three Muskateers. Listen, she and Casey are very close friends. After Dawson left Casey and they got divorced, Brett helped Casey. We are all a family here but Brett is special. She and Cruz dated very briefly. Look, all I'm saying is that if she wants to date someone, let her come to the guy. She broke off her engagement and Foster and Stella brought her home. Just give her space." Mouch said.

"I'll do that." Gallo replied.

Meanwhile in the common room, Brett saw Cruz.

"Mind if I join you?" Brett asked.

"Sure. I thought you didn't work until tomorrow." Cruz said.

"I don't, but I haven't seen you but for a few minutes. I thought we could try and catch up since you haven't been home." Brett said.

"I know. I just didn't know what to say or what to do." Cruz said.

"What do you say we figure it out together." Brett said.

"I'd like that. I keep forgetting that I don't have to do this by myself." Cruz said.

"I know but I'm back and I know you are with Chloe, but I want you to know, I'm back for good this time." Brett said.

She and Cruz talked for a bit and then gave each other a hug.

"I'm going back to the apartment. Casey is taking me out to dinner to catch up on everything." Brett said.

"I thought you guys did that the other night." Cruz said confused.

"We started to catch up but then his phone went off, then my phone went off, then we decided to watch a movie and then my door got jammed. So we didn't really catch up." Brett lied.

"Oh alright. Well, have fun. If I'm not home, I'll be at Chloe's. She and I got engaged last night." Cruz happily smiled.

"What? Joe, that's awesome! I'm so happy for you!" Brett exclaimed.

"So, the apartment is all yours tonight. Have fun because Chloe and I are gonna be celebrating." Cruz said.

Brett gave him a hug as Gallo looked on from the doorway. Brett pulled away from the hug and left with a smile on her face. She saw Gallo out in the hallway.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't see you there." Brett said.

"It's ok." Gallo nervously replied.

"Is Casey still in his office?" Brett asked.

"Uh yeah, he should be." Gallo said.

"Thanks." Brett said as she walked to Casey's office.

She knocked on Casey's door.

"Hey, what are you still doing here?" Casey asked.

"I'm getting ready to head home. I had to see Cruz before I left." Brett said.

"How did that go?" Casey asked.

"It went really well. I don't think I'm supposed to say anything but he and Chloe got engaged last night so he and Chloe are going to be celebrating at Chloe's place. You know what that means?" Brett smiled.

"We have the apartment to ourselves?" Casey asked.

"Yep. If you wanna stay." Brett smiled.

"Of course I do." Casey said as he stood up from his chair and gave Brett a quick kiss.

Brett left and headed home to get ready for dinner with Casey. She and Casey have never been so happy then they were at this very moment in their lives.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

Casey clocked out of work and headed to Severide's apartment to grab a shower and to repack his duffel bag with clothes. Severide was home with Stella.

"Look who finally came home." Severide joked.

"Haha. Very funny." Casey said as he went to the guest room where he stayed.

"So, where have you been lately?" Severide teased.

"That is none of your business." Casey teased back.

"Seriously, who has you smiling a lot lately?" Severide joked.

"You'll find out when the time is right." Casey smiled.

"Wait, it's not Brett is it?" Severide said in a serious tone.

Casey stepped out from the guest room and gave Severide a look.

"Dude, seriously?" Severide questioned.

"What? Look, she and I talked a little bit but we haven't really hung out with each other. That's why I'm taking her to dinner tonight." Casey admitted.

"What about Dawson?" Severide asked.

"She came by earlier and we talked. Turns out that she and Peter got back together. We are divorced and single. She's free to date whoever she wants and so am I." Casey explained.

"Look, I just want you to be happy and I haven't seen you this happy in a very long time. If Brett makes you happy, then go for it. Just take it slow. You and I both know she's been through a lot lately and I don't want either of you to get hurt." Severide explained.

"Thanks man. I appreciate it." Casey said.

"Anytime." Severide said.

"Hey, do me a favor and don't tell anyone, not even Stella. Brett and I are seeing where things go and I don't want anyone in the house knowing until we know what this is between us." Casey explained.

"You got it." Severide said.

Casey headed to the bathroom and got a shower. After he was finished, he got dressed in a pair of black dress pants and a dark, navy blue button down shirt. He went to his room and put on his black dress shoes. Tonight was going to be a special night for them. He wasn't planning on anything but dinner, but he was hoping that maybe they could make things official. Who knows. He was really nervous. Casey came out and Severide whistled at him.

"Work it baby." Severide joked.

The two men laughed.

"Thanks Kelly." Casey laughed.

Severide teased Casey but it was all in good fun. Casey knew it wasn't serious. Just then, there was a knock on the door. It was Stella. Severide let her in.

"Well someone's a little overdressed." Stella joked.

"See you guys." Casey said as he grabbed his duffel bag and headed out the door.

"Where's he going?" Stella asked.

"He's got a date." Severide teased.

"Good for him. It's about time. Did he say with who?" Stella asked.

"No but whoever it is, well, they have made him happy." Severide said.

It was 7:00 p.m. and Casey had just pulled into Brett's apartment building. Brett had on a gorgeous dark blue dress with black flats. Casey knocked on the door and Brett answered.

"Wow." Casey said as he took in the sight of her beauty.

"You're not so bad yourself." Brett smiled.

"You ready?" Casey asked.

"Absolutely." Brett said.

Brett took Casey's arm and they walked to Casey's truck. Casey helped Brett into the truck and then closed the door. He got in on the other side and started to pull out of the driveway. He pulled up to a building that looked like it was closed. Brett looked confused.

"Casey, what are we doing here?" Brett asked.

"We are having dinner here. I know the owner and he closed the place down tonight so that we could be alone. I hope that's alright." Casey said.

"It's perfect. Thank you." Brett softly said.

Casey parked the car and got out. He helped Brett out of the truck and then they both walked towards the restaurant. The owner opened the door for them.

"Sergio, thank you so much for this." Casey said.

"Well, I do owe you since you came and fixed the back room for me for nothing." Sergio said.

Sergio was about Casey's height and was an older gentleman. He was in his late 50's. Sergio had a heavy Italian accent. He noticed Brett standing beside of Casey.

"Ah, and who is this young lady?" Sergio asked.

"Sergio, meet Sylvie Brett. Sylvie, this is Sergio Sarento. He owns this restaurant." Casey explained.

"Nice to meet you." Brett said with a smile.

"Ah, the pleasure is all mine. Matthew, I'll be in the back if you and Ms. Sylvie need anything. The staff is ready for you." Sergio said.

"Thank you." Casey said.

Sergio sat Casey and Brett in a table in the middle of the restaurant. It had two long candles that were lit and a vase of fresh roses sitting in the middle of the table. Sergio handed Casey and Brett a menu.

"Now, anything you want, it's on the house." Sergio said.

"Sergio, that's really not necessary." Casey said.

"Matthew, I have known you for 10 years and you have always helped me out even when I couldn't afford to pay you. Please, let me take care of you two tonight. Anything you want is free on the house." Sergio said.

Casey couldn't argue with him.

"Alright, Sergio. You win." Casey said with a smile.

"Good. Now, Giles will be out in a few minutes to serve you. Have a good evening." Sergio said.

Sergio left and Casey and Brett looked at the menu.

"So, how did you meet Sergio?" Brett asked.

"I was doing some carpentry work for a client and he told me that Sergio needed some repairs but couldn't afford anyone to help. So, as a contractor, I offered to help at no charge. I did all the work. Sergio and I became friends after I helped him out. Once a week, he gives me a free dinner, even when I offer to pay." Casey said.

"I don't want to bring the mood down, but did you ever bring Gabby here?" Brett asked.

"Never. In fact, no one I have ever been with has been here with me." Casey said.

"So, I'm the first?" Brett asked.

"Yes and I wouldn't have it any other way. Sergio and I have similar backgrounds and he's like a second father to me besides Boden." Casey said.

"Matt, thank you for everything. I mean it." Brett whispered.

"I just want tonight be special." Casey said.

"It will be." she smiled.

Giles came over and took their order.

"I would like the lasagna with the tiramisu for desert." Brett said.

"I would like the same." Casey replied.

"I'll bring it out as soon as it is ready." Giles said as he took their menus and headed towards the kitchen.

Giles put in the order and Brett and Casey talked some more.

"So, I told you about my childhood, tell me about yours." Brett said.

"Well, my father was very abusive. I told you a little bit about it. Growing up, I would stay after school and hang out with my friends or play football just so I wouldn't have to deal with my dad. My mom took the most of it. If my sister or I got anything below an A, we all got beat up. If we were one minute late, we got beat up. When my mom killed my dad, it felt like a weight had been lifted off our shoulders but my sister, Christie, could never forgive our mom for killing our dad. We became estranged but after a while, I talked her into helping get our mother released, which happened but it was far from what I thought. Long story short, Christie eventually came around and she and my mom are getting counseling together. Christie is also older than me." Casey explained.

Brett was shocked. She thought she had a rough childhood, but nothing could be harder than what Matthew Casey went through.

"Matt." Brett said in a soft whisper.

Casey grabbed Brett's hand and squeezed it.

"I want to thank you for helping me through everything. Sylvie, you are an amazing woman and I was wondering if you would like to make things official between us." Casey asked.

"You want to make things official?" Brett asked, shocked that Casey asked her.

"Yes but only if we take things slow. I don't think I could handle another disappointment and I don't think you could handle another one." Casey replied.

"Fair enough. I'm not ready for us to take it to the next step just yet, but I would like it if we could make cuddling a regular thing. I think I sleep better when you're with me." Brett said.

"That's totally fine. I don't know why I'm so nervous. I honestly can't remember ever being this nervous with anyone." Casey said.

"What about with Gabby?" Brett asked.

"Nope. Just you. When I was first started out doing my contracting business, Sergio was one of my first clients. He lost his family in a fire in the early 90s, so it's just him. I come here and check on him once a week and that's when he started giving me a free dinner once a week. He's been through a lot and he's called me a few times just to check on me. If I miss our weekly get together, he calls. He's a great guy. Just really lonely." Casey said.

Giles brought their food out and placed it on the table in front of them. They started eating and in between bites, they would continue to talk. It meant everything to Brett that she finally got Casey to open up. In fact, it was the first time he's ever opened up about his family. He would usually beat around the bush and give quick answers, but with Brett, he didn't hold anything back. It was the first time he had ever told anyone about what actually happened to his father. Casey was happy that he could share something so private with someone that he knew wouldn't judge him. Brett felt like she was special. Having Casey open up to her was all she wanted. Brett opening up to Casey about being adopted was hard, but she felt like she could tell him about it and not be judged. They knew that no matter what happens between them, they had one person in their life that they could tell their most private secrets too.


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

Casey and Brett were finishing up their desert when Sergio came out to greet them.

"Matthew, Sylvie, how is everything?" Sergio asked.

"The food is amazing. This has got to be the best lasagna I have ever had in my life." Brett said as she took a sip of her drink.

"Sergio, the food keeps getting better every time I come here." Casey smiled.

"Would you both like to know the secret?" Sergio asked.

"Sure." Casey and Brett said in unison.

"The secret is that I cook the food." Sergio laughed.

"Sergio, the food is amazing." Brett replied.

"Thank you." Sergio smiled.

"Sergio, thank you for everything." Casey replied.

"Matthew, it was nothing. In fact, I made extra for you and Ms. Sylvie to take home. No arguments." Sergio said as Giles came out with two bags.

Giles handed one bag to Casey and the other one to Brett.

"There's a special surprise in there for you both. Enjoy the rest of the night." Sergio said with a smile.

Casey and Brett stood up and Casey shook Sergio's hand and gave him a hug. Brett then gave Sergio a hug and then took Casey's arm and the two of them headed out. Casey helped Brett into his truck and then he got into the other side. He pulled out of the parking lot and headed to Brett's apartment. Once he got there and he put the truck in park, he got out of the truck and helped Brett out of the truck. They walked up to Brett's apartment. She unlocked the door and they walked in. Closing the door behind them, Casey took Brett's hand and pulled her close to him.

"You look absolutely stunning in this blue dress." Casey whispered in a low voice.

"You look handsome in this suit." Brett whispered back.

"Will you turn on some music?" Casey asked.

"Why?" Brett asked.

"Because I didn't get to dance with you tonight." Casey whispered.

Brett kissed his cheek. She walked over to the corner where the Bluetooth system was set up. She grabbed her iPod that she had placed on the table beside of it and connected it to the Bluetooth system. She scrolled through her list of songs until she found one that seemed to be perfect but before she played it, she stopped.

"Did you and Gabby have a song?" Brett asked.

"No. In fact, we didn't do all of the lovey dovey things that you should do in a relationship. She either wanted to focus on her job, Louie, or something that didn't involve me or our relationship." Casey said as he walked over to where Brett was standing.

"Well, I like the cheesy fairy tale of having a song." Brett smiled.

"Well then, what is our song?" Casey asked.

Brett pressed play on her iPod. She took Casey's hands in hers and they walked over to the empty space behind the couch. They started slow dancing to the song.

"I like this song." Casey said with a smile.

"I do too." Brett smiled back.

They danced to the song and Casey at one point, twirled her. They laughed and just enjoyed their slow dance.

"Kiss me like you wanna be loved You wanna be loved You wanna be loved This feels like falling in love Falling in love We're falling in love" Ed Sheeran's song played.

Casey held Brett close to him and slowly kissed her on the lips. She returned the kiss. She took off Casey's jacket. She placed the jacket on the couch and looked at him. His eyes looked at every inch of her, from her eyes all the way down to her feet. He caressed her face and brushed a piece of her hair out of her face. She looked into his gorgeous blue eyes and smiled. He smiled back and gently kissed her again. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his arms around her waist. When the song Kiss Me by Ed Sheeran had ended, they pulled apart. She walked over to turn the Bluetooth speaker off and the she grabbed her iPod. She walked back over to Casey and grabbed his head. She led them to her bedroom where Casey closed the door behind them. She set her alarm on her phone to get up at 6:00 a.m. and then saw Casey just standing by the door. She walked over to him.

"I'm not ready for this next step. Once we go there, things get complicated and I just want to enjoy this." Brett said.

"I know and I'm not pressuring you in any way. If you ever feel like I'm pressuring you, you just tell me. I won't be mad." Casey said.

"Will you help me out of this dress? I wanna put my pajamas on." Brett joked.

"Sure." Casey said.

Brett turned around so that Casey could unzip her dress. After, Brett grabbed her pajamas and headed to the bathroom to change. Casey told Brett he was going to get his duffel bag so that he could change as well. When he came back up to the apartment, he saw that Brett was waiting for him. She greeted him with a kiss and he didn't hesitate to return it. After a few minutes, they pulled away.

"What was that for?" Casey asked with a smile.

"For being an amazing man and for being there for me." Brett said with a smile.

They talked for a minute before Casey went to change into his sweat pants. He put on a navy blue t-shirt and then came out of the bathroom with his bag. He walked over to Brett, took her hand, and then they headed into her bedroom. Casey closed the door to Brett's bedroom and they both crawled into bed. Casey laid on his right side as Brett snuggled next him, her face facing his face. She caressed his face and he did the same. He kissed her and then cuddled next to her. His arm was wrapped around her waist and her arm was wrapped around his waist. It didn't take them long to fall asleep. The next morning, the alarm went off. Brett turned it off and then saw that Casey was already awake.

"How long have you been awake?" Brett asked.

"About an hour or so." Casey smiled.

"And you let me sleep? Why didn't you wake me?" Brett asked.

"Because you looked so peaceful sleeping, I didn't have the heart to wake you. Having you in my arms was a plus." Casey grinned.

"I look awful." Brett said as she raised out of the bed and stretched her arms.

"You look beautiful." Casey said as he kissed Brett.

"Alright, I gotta get up. It's my first day back." Brett grumbled.

"Lucky for you, we work the same shift." Casey grinned.

"Very lucky." Brett grinned.

Brett got her work clothes and grabbed a shower. After she got ready, Casey grabbed a shower as well. He got ready and met Brett in the living room. Brett handed Casey his bag and she grabbed her purse, bag, and keys and then headed out the door. They arrived at Firehouse 51 and in good old 51 fashion, the whole house surprised Brett with a small party.

"Welcome Home!" the whole house yelled in excitement.

Brett was surprised. She started laughing and gave everyone a hug that she knew.

"We have missed you. Hope you're ready to work." Boden grinned.

"I've missed it, Chief." Brett smiled.

Brett looked at Casey who was grinning.

"Did you know about this?" Brett asked.

"Maybe but I was sworn to secrecy by Foster and Stella." Casey laughed.

"I can't blame you for that." Brett said as she hugged Casey.

Casey kissed her head and Gallo noticed. Was Mouch and Herrmann right about Casey and Brett? Was he crushing on someone who was into someone else? Gallo wasn't sure but he was curious. Just as Brett and the others were in the locker room getting ready for the day, the alarm went off.

"TRUCK 81 SQUAD 3 AMBULANCE 61. BUILDING FIRE. 6823 North Astor Street." the woman said over the intercom.

"Alright, let's head out. Brett, Foster. You go first." Chief Boden called out.

Brett and Foster left, with Foster driving. Squad 3, Truck 81, and Boden headed out behind them. They arrived and saw that there were people crowding the street. Brett and Foster got out of the ambulance and made their way to the victims.

"We need all victims to go with Emily Foster to the ambulance. Is there anyone else inside the building?" Brett yelled.

"Uh, yeah. Our boss was in his office. He didn't come out." one of the victims said.

"Thank you, sir." Brett said.

Just then, Truck 81 and Squad 3 arrived with Boden.

"Hey Brett, do you know if anyone is in there?" Herrmann asked.

"Uh, one of the victims said that their boss was still in there in his office." Brett said as she was examining one of the victims.

"Alright, let's do this!" Herrman yelled.

Squad and Truck rushed inside the building to check to see if there were more victims. They only had one person in the building and the man was unconscious.

"All clear!" Casey said as he carried the victim outside.

Herrmann, Mouch, and the others did what they had to do to get the fire under control so that they could put it out.

"Brett!" Casey yelled. "He's unconscious."

"We got it. Thanks." Foster replied.

"Be careful." Brett replied.

Casey knew what she meant. They had lost Otis not too long ago and this was her first day back on the job.

"Foster, we need to intubate." Brett said.

"On it!" Foster replied.

As they worked on the man, more abulances showed up at the scene to help.

"We gotta get him to Med! He's vitals are dropping!" Brett yelled.

"Let's go!" Foster said.

They put the man in the ambulance and they headed to med. While they were heading to the hospital, Squad and Truck had finished putting the fire out and loaded up their gear. They made sure everyone around them had been treated and even walked in the building to make sure the fire was completely out before leaving the scene. Brett and Foster arrived at Med with the man.

"We have a man, around 40, unconscious and barely breathing." Brett called out.

April and Maggie greeted them.

"Alright, let's get him to Baghdad." April said.

Maggie got the information she needed from Brett and Foster before leaving to help with the man. Brett and Foster left and arrived at Firehouse 51 about ten minutes after Squad and Truck. They got out of the ambulance and were greeted by Casey and Gallo.

"Hey, how's the patient?" Casey asked.

"Not sure. Maggie and April got to him just in time." Foster replied.

"That's good." Gallo nervously said.

Foster knew that Casey wanted to talk to Brett alone. She dragged Gallo away to let Brett and Casey talk.

"You were great. Listen, when we went back into the building to check and make sure the fire was out, we found this." Casey said as he showed Brett a lighter that was in an evidence bag.

"Are you thinking the fire was started on purpose?" Brett asked.

"I don't know. I'm gonna see if Severide can find anything since he's working with OFI because of Grissom." Casey said.

"I don't like that man." Brett complained.

"Neither do I, but Kelly said that he wanted to be back at 51 as soon as possible." Casey said.

"Does Boden know about the lighter?" Brett asked.

"Yeah. He's the one that suggested Kelly look into it. Herrmann found the lighter right near the window but get this, there were no blinds or curtains. He thinks that someone started the fire and then tried to get rid of the lighter or something. We're not sure." Casey explained.

"Alright, well, let me know what's going on. I'll see if we can get an update from Maggie and April about the man and see if he can remember anything. I don't know how much help he will be, but Foster and I can try." Brett explained.

"Thank you. I've gotta get in there and do the report on the fire." Casey complained.

As Gallo came in to get Casey for Boden, he saw Brett and Casey kissing. He stepped back and yelled for Casey.

"Captain!" Gallo called out.

Casey stepped away from the ambulance.

"What is it, Gallo?" Casey asked.

"Boden wants to see you in his office. Something about the lighter that was found." Gallo said.

"I'll be there in a minute." Casey replied.

He turned to look at Brett.

"Lunch. My office?" Casey asked.

"Yep." Brett smiled.

Casey gave her a quick kiss and then headed to Boden's office. Casey knocked on Boden's opened door and Boden motioned for him to come in and close the door.

"I spoke with CPD and Commissioner Grissom about the lighter. Grissom agreed to let Severide check out the fire but that didn't come easy. Also, Voight said that Atwater and Ruzek are gonna come by and collect the lighter for evidence. They are gonna see if they can get a hit on the lighter." Boden explained.

"That's good. Isn't it?" Casey questioned.

"Yes but the Commissioner said that he would only grant Kelly the chance to investigate this on the condition that we stayed out of their way." Boden answered.

"Understood." Casey replied.

"Hey, how is Gallo handling everything?" Boden questioned.

"Seems to be fitting in just fine. So far, he's following orders." Casey replied.

"Well, just thought I'd check in." Boden said.

With that, Casey walked towards his office. Casey saw Gallo.

"Hey Gallo, can you wash Squad 3's truck and when you are done with that, do inventory of the truck?" Casey asked.

"Sure thing, Captain." Gallo said.

Casey went into his office and filled out the report about the fire they just got back from. It was a nightmare. Meanwhile, Brett and Foster were filling out reports and taking inventory of the ambulance when they saw Gallo start cleaning the truck.

"Guess Casey has the probie cleaning trucks." Foster joked.

"Guess so." Brett replied as she concentrated on filling out her report.

Foster noticed that Brett was distracted and decided to find out something.

"So, I guess you and Casey are dating now." Foster said.

"Yeah." Brett said.

Brett realized what Foster had just said and tried to come up with an excuse but it was too late. Foster got the answer she was looking for.

"It's about time. The two of you have had this cat and mouse game going on since I've been here. It's about time you both were happy for once." Foster smiled.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Look, I don't know if he wants to tell anyone yet, so please don't say anything. I wanna make sure he and I are on the same page. This is new to us. I didn't think I would be ready so soon, but with Casey, it just feels so right." Brett smiled.

"Get it, girl." Foster teased.

They didn't realize that Gallo could hear them. Casey came out to talk to Brett.

"I'll just leave you two alone." Foster said as she grinned and walked away.

"So, what's up?" Brett asked, curiously.

"I know everyone around the house will be asking and I was wondering, would it be alright if I told people about us? I mean, Gabby knows and she's back with Peter and seems really happy about it." Casey asked.

"I want what you want. If you wanna tell people, then so do I. I don't want any secrets between us." Brett grinned.

"So, I take it Foster knows." Casey laughed.

"She figured it out." Brett laughed.

"Well, I guess we have to go to Boden and HR and let them know of the situation." Casey said.

"Together?" Brett asked.

"Together." Casey replied.

Brett finished her report and yelled at Foster to finish the inventory. She and Casey headed to Boden's office, both a little nervous. Casey knocked on the door.

"Hey Chief, we have something to tell you." Casey said in a serious tone.

Boden looked up, motioned for them to come in and Casey closed the door.

"What's up?" Boden asked.

"Brett and I are together. We wanted to let you know before you heard it from someone else." Casey said.

Boden gave them a look and then stood up from his desk.

"I appreciate you both for coming in here and telling me. Please don't take offense to what I say this, but take things slow. I've seen you both get hurt too many times and I'm not good at giving advice, but given everything that has happened over the last year, please just take this time to take things slow and see where it goes." Boden said.

"That's what we plan on doing." Brett chimmed in.

With that, Boden gave them his blessing and they headed to the HR office to inform them of the situation. After letting HR know, Casey confessed to Brett about Kelly knowing about them.

"Do you remember how you said Foster figured out what was going on with us?" Casey asked.

"Yeah." Brett replied.

"Kelly figured it out as well." Casey said, unsure of how Brett would handle it.

Brett let out a small laugh.

"Well, I guess we are terrible at keeping secrets." Brett giggled.

"Yeah, we are but I'm so happy." Casey grinned.

"Me too." Brett smiled.

Casey leaned in and gave her a kiss. Herrmann, Mouch, Ritter, and Stella appeared.

"Did we miss something?" Herrmann teased.

"Uh, you see, well..." Casey stuttered.

"What he's trying to say is, we, uh, we..." Brett stuttered.

"You guys are together?" Stella asked.

"Yeah, pretty much." Brett admitted.

"It's about freaking time. I was getting kind of tired of that cat and mouse game you two kept playing." Stella joked as she walked past them and towards the locker room.

"Don't screw this one up. She's a keeper. If she leaves because of you, well, let's just say, it won't be pretty." Mouch said.

"Got it." Casey said.

He knew Mouch was joking but also knew that Mouch meant it.

"Take care of this one, Casey. She's precious cargo and irreplaceable." Herrmann said.

"Thanks, Herrmann." Brett said.

They were happy that Herrmann, Mouch, and Stella gave their approval of their relationship. They were a little concerned considering that everyone was close to Dawson and Brett had just returned from Fowlerton after breaking off her engagement to Kyle. Ritter congratulated Casey and Brett and then went back to the common room where he had to cook dinner for everyone. Pretty soon, everyone in the firehouse got news of Casey and Brett and were happy for them, but also told them to take things slow. Lucky for them, they did just that. Having the support of everyone around them meant a lot to them, especially since they called Dawson and told Dawson, who gave her blessing.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

Gallo had finished washing the truck when Squad 3 got called out. Due to Severide not being in the firehouse, Casey had to take his spot. Gallo had just finished washing the truck when they received a call to go out. Meanwhile, Brett and Foster were in the common room.

"Ritter, what's for dinner?" Foster asked.

"Chili." Ritter joked.

"I like some chili." Brett sarcastically replied.

"You know, I knew I missed you for a reason." Ritter joked back, referring to Brett being away.

While Ritter continued to cook the chili, Brett got up to go to the bathroom. On her way back from the bathroom, she stopped to look at Otis's plaque and grabbed her notebook from her locker. She brought her notebook back to the common room and started writing in it.

"Whatcha writing in that notebook?" Foster curiously wondered.

"A letter to a dear friend." Brett softly said.

"That's cool. Hey Ritter, hurry up with that chili, I'm starving." Foster joked.

"It's almost done." Ritter called out.

"I'm starving." Foster grumbled.

Brett laughed.

"Why are you laughing?" Foster asked.

"Because you are sitting here complaining about being hungry instead of getting something to eat." Brett laughed.

Just then, the alarm sounded for Ambulance 61 to go out on a call.

"AMBULANCE 61. ASTHMA ATTACK. 321 Hanson Avenue." the woman called over the intercom.

"That's us." Brett said as she and Foster ran to the ambulance.

They hurried into the ambulance and Foster drove off. They arrived at the place and saw a little girl, around 10 years old, having trouble breathing. As soon as Foster parked the ambulance, they got out and ran over to the little girl.

"It's my daughter, Ava. She's got asthma and forgot her inhaler at home." the woman cried.

"What's your name?" Brett asked the mother.

"Yvonne." the woman replied.

"We are gonna take good care of your daughter. Do you give us permission to treat her?" Brett asked.

"Yes." Yvonne said.

"Ava, my name is Sylvie and this is Emily. We are paramedics and we are here to help you. I understand that you have asthma and are having trouble breathing." Brett said in a soft tone.

Ava nodded her head 'yes' to let Brett and Sylvie know that they were right.

"Ok sweetie, we are going to give you some oxygen to help you breathe." Brett said as Foster grabbed the oxygen from the ambulance.

"Here you go sweetie." Foster said as she administered the oxygen to Ava.

"Looks like she'll be fine. You may want to take her to Med to get checked out just to be on the safe side, but it looks like everything will be alright.  
Just make sure to have her inhaler next time." Brett said nicely.

"I will. Thank you both so much. We normally pack it with us but we got in a hurry this morning and we live about an hour away." Yvonne said.

"I understand. If you go to Med, they might be able to give you an emergency inhaler to carry until you get home. I can't promise that they will or not, but if you take Ava to Med to get checked out, they might be able to help." Brett explained.

"I'll do that. Thank you both so much." Yvonne said.

Foster finished administering the oxygen to Ava, packed up her gear, and put it back in the ambulance. Brett and Foster stayed a few minutes to make sure that Ava was fine before heading back to 51. When they got back, Squad 3 was there. Brett was ready to eat. Between Squad 3's call and the call she just got back from, she was hungry. Ritter's chili wouldn't be ready until second shift. They all had to pull a double and wouldn't be off until late tonight, around midnight. Brett went to the common room and grabbed her notebook and then headed to Casey's office. She knocked on his door. He looked up and saw her and let her in. He closed the blinds and then closed the door behind Brett.

"How's your first day back going?" Casey asked.

"Exhausting but worth it." Brett smiled.

"Come here." Casey said as he walked over to the bed.

Brett sat on the bed with her back towards Casey. Casey started massaging her neck and shoulders and she let him know that it felt good. He then kissed her neck and pulled her close to him, holding her.

"I still can't believe that Herrmann and Mouch called Stella just to see if she knew about us." Casey giggled.

"Yeah but it's Herrmann and Mouch. What do you expect?" Brett joked.

"Have you seen Cruz?" Casey asked.

"No and if he's here, he's avoiding me." Brett sadly replied.

"I don't think he's avoiding you. Why don't you go find him?" Casey asked.

"You sure?" Brett asked.

"Yeah. We have Ritter's chili to look forward too." Casey grinned.

"True. Hopefully it's not as bad as Capp's." Brett laughed.

"Go see Cruz. I've gotta stay here and do this report." Casey said as he and Brett stood up.

She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. He kissed her back and then she left to find Cruz. Lucky for her, it didn't take her long to find him. He was sitting in the room where the cots were that they use to sleep until they are called out on a call.

"Knock knock." Brett said as she knocked on the door.

"Hey Sylvie." Cruz said.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?" Brett asked.

"Always. What's up?" Cruz said as he sat up on the cot.

"Casey and I are together." Brett blurted out.

"You and Casey? As in Captain Matthew Casey? Our friend?" Cruz asked confused.

"Yes. I tried to find you earlier but we got called out on a call and got busy but I wanted to tell you as soon as I saw you." Brett said.

Cruz smiled.

"Well, it's about time. Geez, you and Casey had this cat and mouse game going on for so long that I was starting to wonder." Cruz teased.

"Did everyone know about the cat and mouse game that he and I played?" Brett joked.

"Uh, yeah. I'm surprised it took you both this long to see that." Cruz replied.

"Gabby came by yesterday. She and Casey talked and it turns out that she and Peter got back together." Brett said.

"Gabby and Peter? As in Mills?" Cruz curiously asked.

"Yeah. Go figure." Brett said.

Cruz laughed.

"Well, as long as everyone is happy." Cruz smiled.

"So, how are things with Chloe?" Brett asked.

Cruz's face lit up. He has been on Cloud 9 ever since he and Chloe got engaged.

"Things are great. There's something I want to run by you though. It's kind of why I have been avoiding you lately." Cruz said in a serious tone.

"Ok." Brett said.

"Since we are engaged and I've been spending all my free time with her, she asked me to move in. I told her that I would have to think about it because you came home and we are technically still roommates. I want your opinion on this. Sylvie, you and I have been through a lot over the last few years and your opinion means more to me than anything." Cruz said.

Brett took in everything Cruz said.

"That's awesome but what do YOU want to do?" Brett said as she emphazied the word, you.

"I wanna move in with her but you mean a lot to me and I don't wanna leave you hanging." Cruz said.

"You're not. You and Chloe are getting married and once you're married, you will have to move in together anyway, so why not now? I'll be fine. It's you that I'm worried about." Brett said.

"It's been rough and I have my days, but having you home means so much to me. Chloe knows that I love you and you know I love you, but I'm completely head over heels in love with Chloe and want to be with her." Cruz smiled.

"You know, your face lights up every time you talk about her. She's perfect for you and I'll be the first one to admit, I'm happy for you." Brett smiled.

Cruz gave Brett a hug and then they stood up.

"When do you plan on moving out?" Brett asked.

"This weekend, maybe sooner." Cruz said.

"Sounds like a plan. I love you and Chloe and I'm so happy for you both." Brett said as she gave Cruz another hug.

They both left the room and Brett went back to Casey's office.

"Hey, you got a minute?" Brett asked.

"For you, always." Casey smiled.

Brett walked in Casey's office and closed the door. She explained what was going on with Cruz.

"So, he's moving out and I'm in need of a roommate." Brett worried.

Casey got an idea.

"What if I took Cruz's place at the apartment?" Casey suggested.

"You mean, you and I would be living together?" Brett pondered.

"Yeah. You have your room and I'll have mine. We can still take things slow. That is, if you want me too." Casey said.

"I'd love that." Brett smiled.

"Yeah?" Casey asked.

"You get Joe's room and I still get my room and I get to see the most amazing man every single day." Brett grinned.

"How about this weekend or whenever Cruz moves out?" Casey asked.

"You got it." Brett said as she kissed Casey.

The week went by quickly. Call after call at the firehouse and Casey, Cruz, and Brett were off. Casey helped Cruz move out of the apartment and into Chloe's house.

"I think that's the last of it." Cruz said as he and Casey loaded up the last of Cruz's things.

"Good." Casey joked.

He and Cruz headed off to Chloe's house where Chloe and Brett were.

"So, you and Matt are dating?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah but we are trying to take things slow. I know that him moving in with me isn't taking things slow but I figured why not. He's staying with Severide and Stella is always over there and Emily and her girlfriend are living together, so I thought it only made sense that he have a place to call home that was his." Brett explained.

"Well, take some advice. Don't sleep together just because you are dating each other. Trust me, it's not worth it. Set some boundaries and rules. Trust me, if he cares about you, he will respect it." Chloe said.

"Definitely. Oh hey, did you get the cucumbers out of the fridge?" Brett asked.

"Uh no. Could you get them out for me and also get the carrots and Italian dressing out for me? I'm working on the casserole." Chloe said.

"Sure. Why don't I make the salad for you." Brett said.

"Thank you, Sylvie. That would be great." Chloe said.

Brett grabbed the carrots, cucumbers, green peppers, celery, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and the Italian salad dressing from the refrigerator and placed them on the counter. As Chloe checked the green beans, corn, and casserole, Brett grabbed the big bowl that Chloe said was in the top of the cabinet. Brett grabbed the chef's knife from the drawer and began chopping the vegetables. Brett chopped up the lettuce first and then placed the lettuce in the bowl. She then chopped up the carrots and placed them in the bowl. She continued cutting all of the vegetables until they were all chopped and placed in the bowl. Brett then poured the dressing on the salad and then mixed it all together. Chloe took the casserole out of the oven and turned off the stove that had the green beans and corn cooking. Chloe placed the casserole on the table. Brett helped by placing the salad on the table as well as helping Chloe place the green beans and corn each in a bowl and placing it on the table. Chloe grabbed four plates and placed them on the table. After Chloe and Brett finished setting the table, they sat down in the living room waiting for Casey and Cruz to show up with the last of Cruz's things. The two men showed up and unloaded the truck. After they got everything unloaded and brought into Chloe's house, they took a break.

"I'm starving." Cruz said rubbing his stomach.

"Good thing I just got dinner ready. You guys ready to eat?" Chloe asked.

"Yes." Cruz said.

"Yeah. I could eat." Casey said.

They all headed towards the dining room and sat down. Brett and Chloe sat at the ends of the table and the men sat in the middle. Chloe grabbed some wine glasses and poured three glasses for herself, Brett, and Cruz. She poured Casey some water since he was driving because she didn't want him to drink and drive, even if he had only one glass.

"I would like to propose a toast. To the greatest man I have ever met. He's the only man I know who can tolerate me with my insecurities. I'm so happy that I will be marrying the love of my life. Here's to friends and family." Chloe said.

"To friends and family." Cruz, Casey, and Brett said in unison.

They ate dinner and talked about what is to come. Cruz and Chloe stepped outside and then came back in with a gift for Brett.

"What's this?" Brett asked.

"Open it." Cruz

Brett opened it and it was a picture of her and Otis with Cruz photobombing the picture. Tears started to form in her eyes. She sat the picture down and gave Cruz a hug.

"Thank you." She softly said.

"You're welcome. I want you to promise me something. Promise me that Otis's room will never change and that when you and I are ready together, we will go through his room together." Cruz said.

"I promise." Brett smiled.

They finished dinner and Casey drove Brett back to her apartment. When they got there, Brett stopped him from coming in.

"Before you come in, I was wondering. Will you stay in my room tonight?" Brett asked.

"Of course." Casey said as he kissed her softly.

They entered the apartment and closed the door. They never went past the kissing stage because of everything that they had been through but Brett seemed to have slept better with Casey next to her. If Brett told Casey to sleep in Cruz's old room, he would do it because he has so much respect for Brett. In fact, he's falling hard and fast for her but he's leaving it all up to Brett. After all, she's the one who left after their argument when she and Kyle got engaged. Now that she's home, he is going to do everything to make sure she doesn't leave Chicago and to let her know that he's not going anywhere. This is where they belong. They belong with each other.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

After Casey got out of the shower and was dressed in his sweat pants and t-shirt. Brett took in the view of her now boyfriend and just wanted to be with him but she snapped out of her thoughts quickly and went to take a shower. Casey was making some tea when Brett yelled for him.

"Casey!" Brett called.

Casey ran towards the bathroom. He knocked before opening the door.

"Hey, my zipper is suck. Can you help me?" Brett laughed.

Watching Brett try to unzip her dress and the zipper stuck made Casey giggle a little bit.

"Why didn't you ask before you came in here?" Casey teased.

"Because I didn't know it would be stuck." Brett laughed.

Casey got the zipper on Brett's dress unstuck and unzipped her dress. Before Brett could push Casey out the door, Casey pulled her close to him and kissed her neck, teasing her and leaving her wanting more. Casey left the bathroom and closed the door. Brett got undressed and got in the shower. The warm water hit her body and helped her relax. Casey helped her relax but there's nothing like getting a fresh shower to feel better after a long day. After she was finished with her shower and she got dressed, she came out of the bathroom. Casey noticed that the pajamas she had on were not the same ones from before. He saw that she had on a pink spaghetti strap shirt with matching pink shorts. She placed her dirty laundry in the hamper in the laundry room and then headed to her room to get her hair brush to brush her hair. She came back out of her bedroom brushing her hair. Her arm was hurting her and she winced in pain. Casey walked over to her and they walked over to the couch to sit down. With her back facing Casey, he took the brush from her and began to brush her hair as gently as he could. She winced, not because of the fact Casey was brushing her hair, but her arm was hurting. Lucky for Brett, her hair wasn't real long and when Casey was finished, he started massaging Brett's arm. She relaxed a little bit and then just melted into Casey's arms. She rested her back against Casey's chest. He continued to massage her arm with one hand while holding her with the other. Just as Brett was beginning to fall asleep, her phone rang. She saw the number on the phone and debated on whether or not to answer it. Casey saw the number and instantly knew who it was. It was Kyle.

"Go on." Casey whispered.

With Casey's reassurance, Brett answered the phone.

"Hello?" Brett asked.

"Sylvie, it's Kyle. How are you?" Kyle asked.

"Good." Brett said as she tried to keep her answers simple.

"I don't want to bother you but I have to know this. Word got back to me that you are with Matt Casey and I was wondering if that's the real reason you decided to go back to Chicago." Kyle said.

Brett took a slight offense to that.

"Yes, Matt and I are together. He's part of the reason I came home. The other part is because I missed my friends and my job. Chicago is my home. I can't believe that you would ask me that. By the way, how did you hear about Matt and I?" Brett asked.

"I ran into Hope, who just got back in from Chicago and she said that she heard you and Matt were together when she went to speak to HR at 51." Kyle said.

This made Brett furious. She jumped off the couch and started walking around the apartment. Casey knew that something was going on but he wasn't sure.

"Hope. That figures. She's always trying to start drama. By the way, what the heck was she doing at 51 and when was she there?" Brett asked as angered filled her voice.

"She was there this afternoon, around 2:00. She said that she went to HR at 51 to try to get her job back and she overheard you and Matt tell someone in the HR department that you two were dating. She also said that HR at 51 refused to hire her back because of her previous experience." Kyle said.

Brett was getting riled up. She was about to bring out the Chicago Brett and whenever she goes all Chicago on someone, she holds nothing back.

"Look Kyle. Matt and I are together and yes, he's part of the reason I came back home, but what you don't seem to understand is that 51 is my home. The men and women at 51 are my family. Chief Boden, Casey, Severide, Joe, Stella, Emily, everyone. They are my family. I'm back where I belong. Also, Hope likes to start drama and gossip about everyone. I care about you but if you are gonna question me about my decisions after I told you why I couldn't marry you, then you and I weren't meant to be together. One of the biggest reasons I left is because you didn't want me to work. You wanted me to stay at home and be a house wife and I'm sorry, I just can't be that person. I wish you nothing but the best. I have to go." Brett explained.

"Hey Sylvie, I just want you to be happy." Kyle said.

"Thank you." Brett replied.

They both hung up the phone and Casey could tell that Brett was livid.

"Hey, is everything alright?" Casey asked, hoping Brett wouldn't snap at him.

"I don't know. Kyle called. He said that Hope told him that she overheard you and I in the HR department telling them that we are together. She tried to get her job back at 51 and they wouldn't give it back to her, so apparently, she gets back to Fowlerton and wastes no time telling Kyle what happened. I just don't get it. Why can't Hope just mind her business." Brett said as she was fuming mad.

"Hey, come here." Casey said as he pulled Brett close to him.

Brett wrapped her arms around Casey and held him. She was fuming mad and Casey was the only one keeping her calm. He soothed her by rubbing the small of her back and kissing her head. She carefully pulled away from him and gathered herself.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound so hateful." Brett said.

"Sylvie, it's ok. I understand. If that happened to me, I would have felt the same way." Casey said.

Brett felt a little better.

"What do you say we go to bed." Casey suggested.

"I'd like that." Brett smiled.

Casey saw Brett smile and saw how relaxed she became. Brett took Casey's hand and led him to her bedroom. Casey closed the door behind him. Brett wrapped her arms around Casey's neck and he bent down and kissed her. Casey heard Brett wince in pain. Her arm was still sore. They pulled away and headed towards the bed. Brett sat on the bed and leaned into Casey's chest. Casey rubbed Brett's arm but she was still in pain.

"If your arm is still hurting tomorrow, promise me you will go to Med and get it checked out." Casey said.

"Only if you take me." Brett replied.

"I think I can manage." Casey said as he kissed her neck.

After a few minutes, Brett set the alarm on her phone and placed the phone on the charger to charge. Casey held Brett close to him, rubbing her arm throughout the night. The next morning, the alarm sounded and Brett and Casey woke up. They each got a shower and got ready for the day. Brett's arm was still bothering her but she just took some over the counter medicine to help with the pain, at least until she could get to the hospital. Casey and Brett headed to the firehouse. What started out as a slow day, quickly turned into a very busy day. Call after call. Truck, Squad, and Ambulance were on three calls, each that felt like forever and each more dangerous than the previous call. Brett and Foster were working on victims and used their ambulance as a triage for treating people.

"Alright sir. It looks like you have a buckle fracture on your wrist. We are going to put a stint on it and then you need to go see the doctor right away to get a cast put on it. As a suggestion, I recommend going to Med to get an x-ray for further evaluation." Brett told the man.

"Thank you." the man said as Brett let him go after treating him.

"Hey Brett, that was the last one." Foster said as she referred to Brett's patient.

"Hey Chief, are there anymore people that need to be treated?" Brett asked.

"Hold on." Chief Boden replied.

Boden used his radio to call out to Truck and Squad.

"Casey, Herrmann, is there anyone who needs to be treated that is still inside the building?" Boden asked.

"No, Chief! It's all clear my way. Herrmann, what about you?" Casey yelled over on the radio.

"It's all good!" Herrmann yelled on the radio.

Chief Boden looked back at Foster and Brett.

"It's all clear." Boden said.

"Hey Chief, I need to go to Med. My arm is hurting." Brett said as she held her arm.

Boden looked her up and down and then looked at Foster.

"Foster, stay with Brett. Make sure she gets treated. I'll see you both back at 51." Boden said.

"Got it." Foster replied.

Boden nodded his head to let them know that it was alright for them to leave. Casey, Herrmann, and Ritter checked everything before leaving the building.

"Gallo!" Casey yelled.

"Captain, it's all clear!" Gallo yelled.

"Let's go!" Casey called.

Gallo came running towards Casey and then Truck and Squad gathered their gear and headed back to 51. Casey noticed that Brett and Foster weren't back and began to worry once they returned and got out of the truck.

"Hey chief, where's Brett and Foster?" Casey asked with concern.

"Brett said her arm was bothering her and asked if she could go to Med. I told her yes but Foster had to stay with her." Boden replied.

Casey's face dropped. He was worried about Brett.

"If you want, you can go to Med but only after you finish your report." Boden said.

"You got it." Casey said.

Casey headed into his office to work on the report. Once he finished and turned the report in to Boden, Boden checked the report to make sure Casey didn't forget anything. Once Boden read over it, he told Casey that he go to Med to check on Brett. Boden said that if anyone asks, Casey is there to check on a victim on the fire, which wasn't necessarily a lie. Brett hurt her arm while working on patients and that's the story they are sticking with. Casey left and headed to Med. He saw Maggie.

"Hey Maggie, do you know where Brett is?" Casey asked.

"She's over there." Maggie smiled as she pointed to the room where Brett and Foster were.

He walked over to the room where Brett and Foster were waiting.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Brett asked, surprised to see Casey.

"I heard you were here. I got a little worried about you. How are you guys?" Casey asked.

"I'm fine but Brett's arm is hurting. We are waiting on Dr. Manning to come back with the x-rays." Foster said.

"Do they think anything is broken?" Casey asked.

Brett shook her head.

"No. She's just doing that as a precaution in case the bone didn't heal properly." Brett explained.

Dr. Manning came in right before Casey could say anything.

"Well, the x-rays showed that the bones are healed but it will be tender for a few weeks. Just soak in some warm water twice a day and take it easy. No heavy lifting. Also, I'm gonna give you this. It's a wrist brace. It will help with carpal tunnel and arthritis. Trust me, once you break a bone, you will need this. Arthritis will set in and it will feel like you have broken your bone all over again." Natalie explained.

Natalie handed Brett the wrist brace.

"Is there anything else?" Brett asked.

"If you do have to do heavy lifting, wear the wrist brace. It will help protect the bone. Other than that, you're all set." Natalie explained.

Natalie went to Nurse's Station to have Brett discharged. Foster headed out to the waiting area to give Casey and Brett a minute.

"At least it's nothing bad." Brett said.

"Just don't over do it." Casey said.

"I won't." Brett smiled.

Casey gave her a quick kiss and then headed back to 51. Maggie came in with Brett's discharge papers and told Brett she could leave. Foster and Brett headed back to 51. They arrived about five minutes after Casey got back. Brett went to Boden's office to let him know what Dr. Manning said.

"Hey Chief, got a minute." Brett asked.

"Sure. What did Med say?" Boden asked.

"Everything is fine but Dr. Manning doesn't want me doing any heavy lifting and if I do, I have to wear this wrist brace." Brett complained.

"Normally, I would stop someone from working and put them on desk duty, but if you were cleared to do heavy lifting with the wrist brace until your arm and wrist completely heals, then that's fine by me. Be sure to let Casey, Herrmann, and Foster know." Boden said.

"Thanks, Chief." Brett said.

Brett left Boden's office and told Herrmann and Foster the news.

"Well, I'm just glad you're back and can still work. Don't ever over do it." Herrmann said with a smile.

"I won't." Brett smiled.

Herrmann hugged Brett and then went about giving Ritter the third degree. Foster and Brett were talking when Stella walked up to them.

"Can I talk to you guys?" Stella asked.

"Always." Brett said.

"It's Kelly, well, more like his new partner. She's been flirting with him and he's obviously oblivious." Stella sighed.

"What do you mean?" Foster asked.

"Well, she asked Kelly if Casey was single the other day, before Brett came home. Then when they investigated the fire at that grocery store, Casey said that she was standing awfully close to Kelly, almost as if she was trying to hold his hand. Now, Casey wouldn't lie about that but I just kind of let it go. Well, I bring Kelly some lunch and I see her flirting with him. When I knocked on the door, she said that only firefighters were allowed in there and when I said I was Kelly's girlfriend and from 51, she tried to get in my face." Stella complained.

"Wow. She didn't even try to hide it?" Foster asked.

"No. Then when I left, she gave Kelly some excuse and stopped me in the hallway. She said she didn't become lieutenant at a young age for nothing. Then that tramp had the nerve to say that she always gets what she wants and she wants Kelly." Stella sighed.

"That's terrible. Like, she could have at least tried to hide that she was going after Kelly." Brett said.

"You would think but no. If I wasn't on duty, I would have punched her in the face." Stella said.

The three women laughed.

"Remind me to never make you mad enough that you wanna punch me. I'm a toothpick." Brett laughed.

The three of them laughed some more.

"You know, if Otis were here, he would say, 'Now Stella, as a man, we can't read the signs that you women give us.'" Stella mocked.

"That's true." Brett replied.

"I need a Girls Night Out. What do you say? This Saturday at Brett's apartment?" Foster said.

"I'm down." Stella said.

Foster and Stella looked at Brett.

"Let me ask Casey. He did move in after all." Brett said.

"Oh yeah." Foster replied.

"Hey, I'm down. I'm sure it will be fine. Maybe Casey can get up with Severide and have a Guys Night Out." Brett replied.

The ladies laughed as Casey walked in.

"What's with the laughing?" Casey flashed a smile.

"Uh, we were talking about doing a Girls Night at Brett's apartment Saturday but we totally forgot that you moved in with her." Stella said.

"Oh. Well, I can ask Severide if he wants to do something that way you ladies can do your thing and we can do ours." Casey said.

"Are you sure?" Brett asked.

"Yeah. You need to have some fun. Besides, I plan on giving Severide a hard time about his new partner that I really don't like." Casey joked but was also serious.

"Thank you! Someone else who doesn't like that bi...hey, Chief." Stella said before she could get the words out.

"Can I have everyone's attention?" Boden asked the people in the common room.

"We are having our annual Family Day this weekend. I expect to see you all there. This is a very important day for this house and for all the firehouses in this city. It's a day where all of us get together with our families and just hang out. This year, it's our year to clean up the event. There is no exceptions. Everyone must attend." Boden said in a stern but firm voice.

Everyone knew what Boden's voice meant.

"Alright. Everyone get back to whatever it was you were doing." Boden said as he left the room.

"So much for our plans." Stella complained.

"We can have it after the event." Brett suggested.

"I'll be too tired. Foster, what about you?" Stella asked.

"Same. I'll be too tired." Foster said.

"Next weekend?" Brett asked.

"Perfect." Stella and Foster said in unison.

Casey saw how happy Brett was around her best friends. As much as he really cared for Brett, they also could use some time apart. Spending every waking day together will ruin the relationship and it will fizzle out before they get started. It was finally time for everyone to get off shift and Brett and Casey headed home just like everyone else. It was a long day but this weekend was going to be tiresome. Having everyone at the event was going to exhaust them but they enjoyed this time of year. This year was going to be difficult without Otis, but Brett and Casey knew that they had to do this because Otis would want them too.


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER 11

The week went by really fast. It was Saturday morning and everyone was at 51 getting everything they needed to head over to the park for Family Day. Boden assigned each member something to do. Stella, Brett, and Foster were on face painting duty. Casey, Severide, and Gallo were in charge of corn hole. Mouch, Herrmann, and Ritter were in charge of the egg race, where the children put an egg on a spoon and race it to their partner, who runs it back to the start line without dropping it. Boden and the other Battalion Chiefs were in charge of the water balloon race. Cruz, Capp, Tony, and Chloe were in charge of the food. Everyone else just had to make sure no one got hurt while having a good time. Each firehouse had different colored shirts representing their house.  
Firehouse 51 wore blue.

"What time does this end again?" Stella asked.

"I think Boden said around 6 this evening." Brett replied.

"Well, let's do this. Do we have the face paint" Foster asked.

"Uh, yeah." Brett said as she checked the bags for the paint.

"Should we put the paint in the paint tray or wing it?" Foster said.

"Put them in the paint tray. Hey Stella, how many paint brushes do we have?" Brett said.

"About 30. We have two packs." Stella replied.

"Hey Brett, do we have sponges and water?" Foster asked.

"Yeah." Brett replied.

The women finished setting up the supplies. Casey came over and gave Brett a kiss since he hadn't seen her most of the morning.

"If you three get bored, you can always come play with the big boys." Casey joked.

Brett armed herself with an unopened bottle of paint.

"Don't make me use this on you." Brett teased.

"Maybe you could use it later." Casey winked.

"Maybe." Brett winked back.

"Alright you two love birds, we gotta get back to work." Stella joked.

Casey gave Brett another quick kiss and then went back to the corn hole set up that he was working with Gallo and Severide.

"Hey guys, I need to go see Severide for a minute. You guys good?" Stella asked.

"Yeah." Brett and Foster said in unison.

Stella walked over to Severide to talk to him before. Severide and Stella were having a serious conversation and it wasn't pretty. Severide's partner, Lieutenant Wendy Seager, was there. Stella didn't like Wendy at all. In fact, the whole house didn't really like Wendy. Severide didn't see what the problem was but he didn't want Stella feeling horrible. Wendy tried to come on to Casey to make it seem like she wasn't interested in Severide, but that backfired on her.

"Captain Casey, has anyone told you that you would be an amazing fit at OFI? You and Severide seem to have a knack for this sort of thing." Seager said.

"As a matter of fact, no, they haven't. I appreciate the compliment, but I'm perfectly happy working at 51 on Truck." Casey replied.

"I've talked to Grissom and he thinks you would be a great addition to OFI." Seager flirted.

"Look, if Grissom transfers me to OFI, I will quit. I've made it very clear to Grissom that while he might have Severide under his belt due to Benny, he doesn't own me and I will quit being a firefighter before I ever go to OFI. Don't believe me, ask Chief Boden." Casey said.

"I'm sorry if I overstepped." Seager said, trying to downplay everything.

"Apology accepted. 51 needs Severide back. Just remember that he's only there on a temporary basis." Casey said.

Seager nodded her head and got back to helping with the corn hole tournament.

Severide reassured Stella about Seager and even kissed her in front of Seager so that Seager would get the hint. Stella went back to her table where Brett and Foster were. Families were arriving and the events began. It was a great turn out. Herrmann's five children showed up with their mother, Cindy, who was Herrmann's wife. After a few hours of fun, Cruz yelled for everyone's attention.

"Can I have everyone's attention?" Cruz yelled.

Everyone stopped to see what Cruz had to say.

"Lunch is ready! Come and get it!" Cruz yelled.

Everyone gathered over at the table to get lunch. There were two lines formed, one on each side of the table that Cruz, Chloe, Capp, and Tony had set up with food.

"This food smells amazing." Stella said.

"That's my girl." Severide said and kissed Stella on the head.

Brett and Casey somehow got separated during the lunch rush. Casey had gotten his plate first but looked for Brett. Once she got her plate, she started walking around to see if she could find Casey.

"Brett!" Foster yelled.

Brett turned to see Foster.

"Casey's over there!" Foster said as she pointed to the face painting station.

"Thanks." Brett said as she made her way over to the face painting station.

"So, this is where you have been all day." Casey smiled.

Brett smiled.

"Want me to paint your face, Captain Casey?" Brett teased.

"What did you have in mind?" Casey asked.

Before Brett could answer, Casey leaned in and gave her a soft and sweet kiss.

"What was that for?" Brett grinned.

"For being amazing." Casey grinned.

Casey and Brett each got a hamburger, some chips, and a cold water. Once they were finished eating, Brett decided to paint Casey's face.

"Hmm...what to do, what to do." Brett pondered.

"You could always put TAKEN on my face." Casey laughed.

Just then, Brett came up with an idea.

"Do you trust me?" Brett asked.

"With my whole life." Casey replied.

Brett grabbed a stencil with a few designs on it and traced an outline of one of the designs on Casey's face. She carefully chose the red face paint to paint the design on Casey's face. After she was finished, she handed Casey the small mirror to see his face.

"If you don't like it, we can remove it." Brett said.

Casey took a look in the mirror and then looked back at Brett.

"Are you kidding me? I love it but only because you painted it." Casey said as he gave her a quick kiss.

The design that Brett had painted on Casey's face was two hearts that were joined together.

"Can I paint something on your face?" Casey asked.

"Sure." Brett smiled.

Casey looked at the stencils and after careful consideration, he chose a design. Just like Brett did, he outlined the designed and then chose the pink face paint. He painted the design on Brett's face and then handed her the mirror to see the design.

"I love it" Brett smiled. "I'm glad. So now, we match." Casey kissed Brett. After lunch was over, everyone went back to their activities stations. The fun continued on until it was time to clean up. By the time 51 finished putting away all the tables, leftover food, games, and everything else, everyone was tired.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen. I thank you all for helping with this event. Rest up the rest of this weekend because Monday, we are right back to work.  
Have fun and see you all on Monday." Boden said as he finished helping the others clean up.

Once everyone had finished cleaning the mess up, they left. Casey and Brett headed to their apartment where Brett couldn't wait to soak in the bathtub. Lucky for her, the bathtub was pretty big. Cruz and Otis got the idea to make the bathroom bigger, with the landlord's permission, and they had a bigger bathtub installed. Casey and Brett arrived at their apartment and after opening the door and closing the door behind him, Casey picked Brett up and carried her to the couch, where he took her shoes and socks off. He then took his shoes and socks off.

"I could go for a nice, long, warm bubble bath." Brett said as she stretched out on the couch.

"Whatever my queen wants, my queen gets." Casey joked.

Brett raised up off the couch and gave Casey a look.

"I'm gonna go fix you a bubble bath. Go get your pajamas ready." Casey said in his deep voice.

Brett smiled and then headed to her bedroom to get her pajamas. When she came out, she was greeted by Casey, who had a single red rose in his hand.

"What's going on?" Brett curiously asked.

"I thought you deserved a night to relax. You've been pushing yourself and I know your arm still hurts. I just wanted to do something nice for you and I just thought that you deserved this." Casey smiled.

Brett walked over to Casey and kissed him. He returned the kiss with a little passion.

"You better go take your bath before the water gets cold." Casey whispered as he pulled away from the kiss.

Brett gave Casey a quick kiss and then headed into the bathroom to take her bubble bath. She closed the door and grabbed a towel from the cabinet beside the sink. She got undressed and wrapped herself up in the towel. She walked over to the bathtub to make sure the water was still warm and when she realized it was, the unwrappped the towel and placed it on the edge of the bathtub to lay her head on it, and then stepped into the bathtub. She washed her body and then leaned back onto the towel that was on the edge of the bathtub. She closed her eyes and began to soak her body. About an hour went by before Casey started to worry about Brett. He knocked on the bathroom door before opening. When he didn't hear her, he opened the door. To his surprise, Brett was listening to her iPod with her earbuds in. He let out a small laugh when he heard her sing off key. She looked up and nearly jumped out of the bathtub.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I just got a little concerned when I didn't hear from you." Casey laughed.

"Sorry. I started relaxing and then I started listening to my iPod and then..." Brett rambled on before Casey interupted her with a kiss.

She returned his kiss and before either of them knew it, Casey was in the bathtub, fully clothed, kissing Brett. Brett pulled away from the kiss.

"I guess it's your turn for a bath." she teased.

"Yeah, I guess so." Casey said as he got out of the bathtub.

Casey grabbed Brett's robe that was hanging from the back of the bathroom door and as she got out of the bathtub, he handed her the robe and turned around so that he wouldn't see her. Casey was always so thoughtful and respectful of Brett. After she put the robe on, Casey turned around and kissed Brett again before Brett walked out of the bathroom. Casey took his wet close off and wrapped a towel around him before walking out of the bathroom to his bedroom. As he walked out of the bathroom, he didn't see Brett. He thought she was in her bedroom getting dressed but he was surprised when he saw Brett was wearing her pajamas and was waiting for him in his bedroom.

"Why are you in here?" Casey asked.

"Well, you're always with me in my room, so I thought I'd return the favor." Brett softly whispered.

"You don't hear me complaining." Casey grinned.

Casey walked over to Brett, who was sitting on his bed. He bent down and kissed her. His chest was bare. She pulled him close to her. She craved his touch and wanted nothing more than to be with him but a little voice in her head told her to slow down. When she pulled away, Casey realized what she wanted and as she crawled into bed, he put on his sweat pants and crawled into the bed next to Brett. Holding her all night was all he needed.


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

A few months had passed and it was the day before Thanksgiving. Firehouse 51 had been out on call after call throughout the day. Brett and Foster were so exhausted. They lost count of how many times they had to take a patient to Med due to an injury. Later that evening, it was an hour before shift change occurred and Brett was passed out asleep in the bunk room where the beds were for firefighters to sleep on. Casey was looking for Brett but couldn't find her. Casey headed to the common room and saw Foster sitting at a table reading the newspaper.

"Hey Foster, have you seen Brett?" Casey asked.

"Last I saw her, she was sleeping." Foster replied.

Casey left the common room and went to the only place he knew of that Brett would be. He walked into the room and saw Brett sleeping. He walked over to her and knelt down. He took his hand and caressed Brett's sleeping face. Brett began to stir.

"Hey." Brett said groggily.

"I know you're tired. We only have another hour to go. I was wondering if you wanted to go crash in my office where it's a lot quieter." Casey said.

Brett raised up from the cot and sat straight up. She rubbed her eyes and could barely hold her eyes open. Brett heard all the commotion coming from the common room.

"I'm telling you, Beethoven is greatest dog movie." Mouch said.

"No, no. Homeward Bound is the greatest dog movie." Herrmann said.

They were arguing about movies that involved dogs because Ritter said that 101 Dalmatians was the best dog movie of all time and that led to a debate about dog movies.

"Yeah. By the way, what are they arguing about?" Brett asked.

"Ritter said that 101 Dalmatians was the best dog movie of all time and now Mouch and Herrmann are having a debate with Ritter on what the greatest dog movie of all time is." Casey laughed.

Brett laughed. She knew once Mouch and Herrmann started debating things, it always turned into a hilarious debate. She stood up and she and Casey headed to his office. Once she was in his office, she crawled into his bed. Casey tucked her in.

"Get some sleep. I'm gonna work on these reports and then we can go home." Casey grinned.

It didn't take her long to fall asleep. She was invited to Thanksgiving dinner at her family's house in Fowlerton. Brett's mom called and invited her and Casey to Thanksgiving dinner but Brett wasn't ready to return to Fowlerton and Casey was understanding about why Brett didn't want to go to Fowlerton and honestly, he didn't want to go either. They agreed to spend Thanksgiving binge watching Disney Plus and eating leftover food from 51's annual Thanksgiving Day dinner that they have every year the day before Thanksgiving. Casey finished the reports and quietly woke Brett up so they could go home.

"Hey beautiful, time to go home." Casey whispered.

Brett woke up and took Casey's hand. As they were leaving, everyone at 51 waited on them so that they could all walk out together.

"Happy Thanksgiving!" Chief Boden yelled in excitement.

"Happy Thanksgiving!" everyone said in unison.

"Everyone enjoy Thanksgiving because we're back to work on Friday." Boden said as evryone headed to their vehicles.

One by one, everyone headed home. Third shift members came in and were under Grissom's orders as Boden had his first Thanksgiving off in several years. Casey and Brett arrived home and after they entered the apartment and Casey closed the door, he picked Brett up and carried her to his bedroom. Brett laughed.

"What's that for?" Brett asked.

"Babe, you look tired. You can barely hold your eyes open. I'm barely able to stay awake myself." Casey yawned.

"Let's just go to sleep. I lost track of how many calls we went on today." Brett yawned.

"Same." Casey yawned again.

"Let's cuddle and go to sleep." Brett half smiled.

With that being said, they both got ready for bed and cuddled next to each other. They both crashed as soon as they got in the bed and cuddled next to each other. It was Thanksgiving morning around 8:00 a.m. and when Brett turned over to give Casey a kiss, he wasn't there. She got up and could smell the aroma of food that was being made in the kitchen. She looked over at the bed and saw a note that Casey had left.

"Hey beautiful, I'm making breakfast in bed for you. Happy Thanksgiving. - Matt" the note said.

Brett smiled. She felt well rested after yesterday's shift and got up out of the bed and walked into the kitchen. Casey caught a glimpse of her while he was cooking.

"Smells amazing." she smiled.

"Well, I'm making breakfast in bed but since you're not in bed, I'm just making breakfast." he joked.

Brett giggled.

"So, what's for breakfast?" she asked.

"It's a surprise. You just have to wait and see." he teased.

"Fair enough. I'm gonna go to the living room and watch a movie." she smiled.

"Not before this." he said as he walked over to her and kissed her.

He walked back over to the stove to finish making breakfast. Brett turned on the TV and then turned on the DVD player. She inserted a DVD into the DVD player and grabbed the remote control that was sitting on the coffee table and then sat down on the couch. She pressed play and the movie started. Casey was in the kitchen making two plates of food. One was for Brett and the other for him. On the plates were biscuits, gravy, fried potatoes, bacon, and scrambled eggs. He grabbed two forks from the drawer and then walked over to where Brett was sitting. She was snuggled up under a blanket.

"Breakfast is served." Casey smiled.

She saw the plate that Casey handed her and her eyes lit up. She was hungry. Casey sat down beside of her and she handed him some of her blanket. He took the blanket and wrapped himself up. They ate their breakfast and placed their plates on the coffee table when they were finished. Brett snuggled up next to Casey, who noticed that she didn't look to good.

"Are you alright?" Casey asked.

"I don't feel good." Brett whispered.

Casey checked her head. She was hot.

"I'll be back." Casey said as he went to his bedroom and grabbed the thermometer.

He came back into the living room and checked Brett's temperature. She had a fever.

"101. We need to get you to Med." Casey said with a concerned voice.

Brett and Casey got dressed and then headed to Med for Brett to be checked out. They arrived at Med and Maggie greeted them.

"What are you guys doing here?" Maggie asked as she noticed Casey and Brett standing at the ER entrance.

"Maggie, Brett's got a 101 fever." Casey said in a serious tone.

Just then, Brett passed out. Casey caught her and Maggie yelled for help. They got Brett into an ER room and checked her in. Her pulse was strong but she was weak.

"Hey Matt, how long has she been like this?" Maggie asked.

"She was very tired last night after our last call. She woke up and she didn't look good. I noticed she had a fever when we were sitting on the couch this morning after eating breakfast. I checked her forehead and noticed she was hot." Casey explained.

"I know you want to be here for her, but I need you to wait outside until we have Dr. Manning take a look at her." Maggie said.

Casey waited outside the waiting room while Dr. Natalie Manning came in to check on Brett and examine her. Natalie came out of Brett's room after ordering Maggie to admit Brett for overnight observation as Brett's fever spiked up. Natalie came over to talk to Casey.

"How's she doing?" Casey asked with fear in his voice.

"Her fever spiked so we are admitting her overnight. She is awake though and we are giving her antibiotics just in case she has an infection. The flu is going around, so it's likely she has the flu but we are running some tests just to make sure it's not serious." Natalie explained.

"Can I see her?" Casey asked.

"Yes, but only after she's been admitted." Natalie explained.

Casey waited for another hour and then Maggie came to tell him that he could go see Brett. Casey left the waiting room and went to Brett's hospital room. He walked into her hospital room and grabbed the nearest chair and pulled it close to the bed. He grabbed Brett's hand and held it. She squeezed his hand to let him know she was awake.

"Matt?" Brett asked.

"Hey, I'm right here." Casey said.

"Where am I?" Brett ask, confused.

"You're at Med. You have a fever." Casey said.

"That explains why I feel like a ton of bricks hit me." Brett tried to joke.

"You need to get some rest. Natalie thinks it might be the flu." Casey said.

Just then, Brett started sneezing and coughing.

"I think she's right." Brett said as she continued to sneeze and cough.

Casey handed Brett a cup of water that he had poured for her. She drank the water and handed Casey the cup back. Natalie came into the room to give Brett and Casey an update on Brett's condition.

"Hey guys. So, I had the lab run some tests and it turns out you have a strain of the flu. You were a little dehydrated but we are giving you some antibiotics and you need to drink plenty of water. Other than that, you should be fine." Natalie said.

"What about the fever?" Brett asked.

"We will be monitoring you all night and early in the morning, but that means you're off work for the weekned. You can go back to work on Monday. Matt, we are gonna need to start you on antibiotics as well as a precaution since Sylvie is contagious. We don't want to risk you getting sick as well." Natalie said.

"Alright." Casey replied.

"Well, get some rest, Sylvie, and Matt, Maggie will be in with those antibiotics for you." Natalie said before leaving the room.

About five minutes later, Maggie came in with some antibiotics for Casey to take. He took them and then Maggie left.

"You know, you can go home if you want. I'm so tired." Brett groggily said.

"No way. I'm not leaving you." Casey said as he grabbed Brett's hand and held it.

Maggie came back into the room.

"So, I pulled some strings with Goodwin and believe me, it wasn't easy, but we got Matt a bed so he doesn't have to sleep in that horrible chair." Maggie laughed.

"Thanks, Maggie." Brett smiled.

Maggie brought in a cot for bed and then left. Casey moved the cot so that it was right beside of Brett's hospital bed.

"Come here." Casey said as Brett scooted close to Casey.

Brett wanted to tell Casey that she loves him but how could she when she was hooked up to IVs and running a fever.

"I love you." Brett whispered as she went back to sleep.

Her body needed rest and the medicine was kicking in, making her very sleepy. Casey smiled as he heard the words come from Brett's mouth. He knew she was on medicine and running a fever so she could have been saying it just because of the medicine, but the fact that she said it first, made him smile. He was waiting to tell her tonight but she got sick and then they ended up at the hospital. Casey made a call to Boden to let him know what was going on with Brett. Boden told him to take Friday and the rest of the weekend off to take care of Brett. The next morning, Brett felt a whole lot better than the day before. She barely remembered what happened Thanksgiving Day, but she remembered that she was in the hospital but that was about it. Natalie came in with Maggie and they discharged her to go home. After Brett got discharged, Casey drove them home. Once they were home, Brett went and changed into her pajamas. She was still sick, but felt so much better. She came back into the living room and decided to lay on the couch. Casey was making her some chicken noodle soup. Brett grabbed the blanket and wrapped her whole body in it. She was freezing but definitely felt better than the last two days.

"Eat this. It will make you feel better." Casey said as he handed Brett the bowl of soup.

She raised up and grabbed the bowl from Casey's hand. She at all the soup and then placed the bowl on the coffee table.

"I'm sorry. I feel better but I'm just tired." Brett said.

"Look at me. You don't have to apologize." Casey said.

He pulled Brett over to him and she rested her head on his lap. He ran his fingers through her hair to let her know that he was taking care of her. After resting for most of the day, she woke up. Casey was asleep and she smiled. She quietly got up and gathered the two plates and bowl that were sitting on the coffee table and took them to the kitchen. She poured herself some ginger ale and drank it. She was defintelyfeeling much better than before. Casey heard Brett walking across the creaky floors. He raised up from the couch and scared Brett.

"Don't do that. You trying to give me a heart attack?" Brett laughed.

"No." Casey laughed back.

Brett walked back over to the couch. She kissed Casey on the head and then snuggled up next to him.

"How are you feeling?" Casey asked.

"Better. A lot better." Brett said as she looked around for a minute.

Casey watched as she looked confused.

"What's wrong?" Casey asked.

"Why aren't you at work?" Brett asked.

"I called Boden and told him what happened. He told me to take today and the rest of the weekend off so I can take care of you. Are you mad?" Casey said.

"Absolutely not." she grinned.

"Really?" he teased.

Brett gave him a look.

"Well, in that case, I have something I want to tell you and it's good but it's important." Casey nervously smiled.

Brett sat up on the couch and looked at Casey. She was slightly worried but tried to play it off. Casey took a deep breath before speaking.

"Sylvie, you and I have known each other for a few years and only recently did we start dating. We have taken things slow and I'm so happy that we did. I want you to know how much you mean to me and I just want to tell you that I love you, Sylvie Brett." Casey nervously said.

"I love you too, Matthew Casey." Brett smiled and kissed Casey.

Casey returned her kiss with passion. After a few minutes, Brett pulled away and snuggled next to Casey. He held her as close to him as possible. They had finally admitted that they loved each other and neither of them could be more happy than they are right now.


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

A few weeks past and it was close to Christmas. Call after call, 51 was busy with calls throughout the weeks leading up Christmas. Lucky for them, they had one call a day but one call could seem like a millon if they arrived and the scene was much worse than they thought. Foster, Stella, and Brett were killing time waiting for a call by playing Rummy. Needless to say, Brett and Foster were losing to Stella.

"Wait a minute. That's not fair. You told us that we couldn't play three of a kind and here you are playing three of a kind." Foster said as she called out Stella on her card playing.

"That was last round. This is a new round." Stella smirked.

"No, no, no. You said we couldn't play three of a kind so you don't get to do that." Brett chimmed in.

They continued to argue about what Stella had said before the start of the game when Boden came in.

"Alright, listen up. We are having our annual Christmas party on Christmas Eve. The sign up sheet to bring something is on the bulletin board. Your families are invited. That's all. Now, get back to work." Boden said as he went back to his office.

"I don't know about you, but I'm bringing potatoe salad." Stella said.

"I'll bring some banana pudding. What about you, Brett?" Foster asked.

"I haven't even thought about it. I'll probably make some cookies or something." Brett said.

"I know one thing, Ritter better make his chili." Severide joked.

Kelly Severide had returned back to Firehouse 51 the week after Thanksgiving. Casey was happy because now, he was back on Truck 81 and Severide was back on Squad 3.

"I'll think about it. I might bring some macaroni salad." Ritter joked.

The only thing Ritter was good at making was chili.

"Cindy is making her famous pumpkin rolls." Herrmann chimmed in.

"Trudy said she would make a cherry pie." Mouch replied.

"All this talk about food has got me hungry." Casey teased.

Everyone was in the common room hanging out. Casey and Severide were talking about plans for Christmas. Truth is, Casey wasn't sure what Brett wanted to do for Christmas. They hadn't talked about it, but Casey was hoping to make Brett's Christmas very special this year, considering everything that she has already been through.

"So, what are you and Brett doing for Christmas?" Severide ask.

"I don't know but I know what I'm getting her." Casey smiled.

"What are you getting her?" Severide asked.

"This stays between you and me. You can't tell Stella." Casey said.

"My lips are sealed." Severide said.

"I am planning on giving her this." Casey said as he pulled out a necklace.

"A necklace? Really?" Severide asked.

"Why? Is that a bad thing?" Casey asked.

"What's the significance behind it? Women like to know what the jewlry represents." Severide said.

"Read the back of it." Casey said.

Severide turned the necklace over to reveal the engraving. The engraving was two hearts joined together.

"To the moon and back." Severide read. "Nice touch."

"Do you think she'll like it?" Casey asked.

"Dude, she'll love it. If it helps, I got Stella the earrings she has been wanting." Severide said.

"That's good to know." Casey joked.

The two men continued to talk while the ladies were discussing Christmas. It was tradition that everyone at the firehouse draw a name and get that person a Christmas gift. The limit was between $10 and $15 for gifts. Needless to say, this year's Christmas party is about to get interesting. The name drawing was about to take place. No one could say who they got or they would have to clean the locker room from top to bottom as a "punishment." Boden came back into the common room with a hat that everyone's name in it.

"Alright. You guys know the drill. Draw a name and please, keep who you got a secret. If you say who you got, you will have to clean the locker room. So,  
who goes first?" Boden smiled.

"I'll go." Casey said.

Casey drew the first name. He got Cruz.

"Next up?" Boden asked.

Brett drew the next name. To her surprise, she got Severide's name.

"Next." Boden said.

Stella went next. Everyone continued to draw names until everyone had a name. Just then, the alarm sounded.

"AMBULANCE 61. POSSIBLE HEART ATTACK. 656 MADISON STREET." the woman said over the intercom.

"That's us, let's go!" Brett said to Foster.

Brett and Foster left the common room and headed for the ambulance. They got in the ambulance and drove to the address. When they arrived, they heard a woman calling for help.

"In here!" the woman said with heavy breathing.

Brett opened the door and walked in, examining the scene in front of her. She saw the woman holding her left arm.

"My name is Sylvie and this is Emily. We are paramedics with the CFD. Do you give us permission to treat you?" Brett asked.

"Yes." the woman said.

"Ma'am. What's your name?" Brett asked.

"Alice." the woman said.

Brett checked Alice's breathing and they got her onto the gurney. As they transported Alice to Med, Alice started coding. Brett got her pulse back but it was extremely weak. They got Alice to Med just in time. After Med took Alice for evaluation and examination, Brett and Foster headed back to the firehouse. They went into the common room. While Brett and Foster were out on a call, Truck 81 got called out on a call.

"So, what are you getting Casey for Christmas?" Foster asked since they were alone in the common room.

"I don't know. I have an idea but I don't know. We haven't even put up a Christmas tree yet." Brett said.

"Girl, you can't celebrate Christmas without a tree." Foster said.

"I know. This year, I just don't feel like celebrating Christmas. Otis loved Christmas and I guess I just miss him." Brett said.

"I didn't think about that." Foster said.

They continued to talk a little more and then Brett got an idea.

"You just gave me an idea. You know how I said that we don't even have a Christmas tree up? Well since this is our first Christmas together, I thought about getting him an ornament to celebrate our first Christmas together." Brett said with a smile.

"That's not a bad idea. What kind of ornament do you want to get him?" Foster said.

"I'll know it when I see it." Brett smiled.

"So, who did you get?" Foster asked.

"Who did you get?" Brett asked back.

"Ok, on the count of three, we show each other. 1, 2, 3." Foster said.

Both Brett and Foster showed each other the names they drew. Brett had Severide and Foster had Casey. They laughed.

"I'll trade ya." Foster said.

"Seriously?" Brett asked.

"Yeah. I know what to get Severide but Casey is a whole other ballgame." Foster said.

Brett laughed.

"Let's do it." Brett said.

They traded names and started laughing some more. The rest of the house came in, some in a bad mood while others were alright.

"Hey Sylvie, I need a favor." Cruz said.

"What's up?" Brett asked.

"What should I get Foster for Christmas?" Cruz whispered.

"Hmm...oh, I know. She's talked about how she wants to go ice skating but she doesn't have any skates. She wears a size 9." Brett said.

"You're the best." Cruz smiled and kissed her head before leaving.

Brett laughed. She saw Casey and noticed he was in a foul mood. Apparenty, Gallo disobeyed Casey's orders and now Gallo had to spend the rest of the shift cleaning the locker room. Casey saw Brett and signaled for her to come to his office. She was worried. Was Casey mad at her for something she did or didn't do? Was he going to tell her to catch a ride home with Cruz or Stella because he was going to work late? She didn't know but the look on his face meant that he was in a bad mood. Brett walked over to Casey's office where Casey was waiting and he closed the door and the blinds.

"I've missed you." Casey said in a deep voice.

"I've missed you, too." Brett replied.

Casey gently pulled her close to him and kissed her. She returned his kiss with so much passion that she had to stop herself.

"What was that for?" Brett asked.

"No reason. I had a ball call and all I wanted to do was get back to you." Casey said.

Brett smiled.

"Have I told you how completely in love with you I am?" Casey smiled.

"Not today." Brett smiled.

"Well, I am completely in love with you." Casey said.

"I'm completely in love with you, too." Brett smiled.

They kissed for a few minutes and then pulled away. They went to the locker room to change and then headed home. On the way home, Brett saw a tree lot.

"Hey, can we stop and get a Christmas tree?" Brett asked.

"Absolutely." Casey smiled as he turned into the parking lot of the the tree lot.

They got out of the truck and started looking around for the perfect tree. Brett was excited like a kid at Christmastime waiting to open her presents and Casey loved the sight of Brett being excited.


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

Brett and Casey were looking at Christmas trees and trying to decide which tree was the right fit for their apartment. As they looked around, they heard carolers singing Christmas songs. As they looked around, Brett's face lit up at the sight of a beautiful Douglas Fir tree that was probably an inch taller than she was.

"This one!" Brett said with excitement.

"This one it is." Casey smiled.

Casey walked over to the attendant who was in charge of the trees and the attendant tagged the tree for delivery.

"We will deliver it tomorrow afternoon, free of charge." the attendant said.

"Thank you so much." Casey said as he paid for the tree.

Casey and Brett walked back to Casey's truck, got in, and then headed home. Casey and Brett arrived home and the first thing Brett did was go over to the closet in the hallway and opened the door.

"What are you doing?" Casey asked.

"You'll see. I know it's in here." Brett said as she looked for a specific box.

Casey watched in amusement. He was laughing at the fact that Brett was talking to herself while trying to find a box.

"Found it!" Brett yelled in excitement.

"Found what?" Casey asked, curious to know what Brett found.

"You'll see." Brett teased with a smile.

Brett picked up the box and brought it over to the coffee table. She opened the box and pulled out something.

"I knew I'd find it." Brett smiled.

"What is it?" Casey giggled.

"Christmas decorations." Brett squealed.

Casey laughed. He helped Brett take out the decorations from the box.

Casey found the mistletoe and hid it. He planned on using it at a later time for something special. Brett and Casey decorated the kitchen counter with the garland that Brett found. Casey hung a small Christmas wreath on the front of the main door to the apartment. He then grabbed what looked like a table cloth and placed it on the coffee table. Brett took little Christmas town houses from the box and placed them on the coffee table that had the table cloth on it, creating a Christmas town. They finished decorating the apartment and then relax on the couch. Casey turned the DVD player on and turned the TV on.  
He pushed play and the movie started. Brett and Casey snuggled up under the blanket.

"This is my favorite Christmas movie of all time." Brett smiled.

"Really? I would have taken you for a White Christmas or Miracle on 34th Street kind of person." Casey said.

"Home Alone is a classic. The second one is the best. It has Tim Curry in it but still, I have always love the Home Alone movies." Brett smiled.

"Me too. What's your favorite part?" Casey asked.

"In which movie?" Brett smarted off playfully.

"This one." Casey laughed.

"The part where he wakes up and says, 'I made my family disappear.'" Brett laughed.

"Really? My favorite part is when the family comes home." Casey laughed.

"Why?" Brett asked.

"Because it's Christmas Day and he gets his mom, dad, brothers, and sisters home." Casey said.

"You know, we have to watch the second one after this one is over." Brett teased.

"Is that a fact?" Casey teased back.

"Yes." Brett laughed.

Casey started tickling Brett and then she started tickling him back. Casey mercifully tickled Brett until she couldn't breathe from laughing so hard. When he stopped tickling her, she grabbed a pillow off the couch and playfully hit him with it. They continued to playfully joke around and have fun until they were both out of breath. Brett somehow ended up sitting on top of Casey's lap. She leaned in and kissed him. He returned her kiss with passion. He raised up and she took his shirt off. He didn't hesistate. He let her take his shirt off and he kissed her neck. She turned her head and then kissed him back. He pulled away slowly.

"Are you sure?" Casey asked.

As much as Brett wanted to make love to Casey, she wanted to wait a little longer. She loved Casey with everything she had but she wasn't there yet. Casey was such a gentleman. He didn't get mad at her when she said she wasn't ready. It's not like she hadn't slept with anyone before, but she wanted their first time to mean something and to be special. Call her a romantic at heart, but she was wanting something special. Then again, every moment with Casey was always special.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm in love with you, but I guess I'm just a hopeless romantic." Brett replied.

"Baby, come here." Casey whispered.

He pulled her close to him and she nestled her head into his chest.

"It's ok. I'm not mad. I'm not upset. I'm in love with you and I want what you want. I never want you to feel like I'm pressuring you into anything that you don't want." Casey explained.

"I love you." Brett whispered.

"I love you, too." Casey said.

Casey held her and they continued to watch the movie. After the movie was over, Casey got up and changed the DVD, putting Home Alone 2: Lost in New York in the DVD player. He walked back over to the couch and sat down. Brett cuddled next to him and they watched the movie. Casey set his alarm on his phone to wake him and Brett up in the morning, just in case they fell asleep on the couch. Sure enough, that's what happened. Both fell asleep on the couch. Casey's alarm went off the next morning and they both woke up. They each got a shower and got ready for work. They headed out the door and headed to work. Work was a bit slow that morning, no calls until around lunch time.

"AMUBLANCE 61. 862 MADISON PARK. POSSIBLE CARDIAC ARREST." the woman announced over the intercom.

"Foster, let's go!" Brett yelled as she ran to the ambulance.

Foster was running behind her. Both women jumped into the ambulance and headed to the address they were given. Meanwhile back at the firehouse, Boden was on the phone dealing with Grissom, who was trying to have Severide transferred to OFI permanently. Casey and Severide were discussing what Grissom was trying to pull.

"Chief, he can't do that, can he?" Severide asked.

"Look, I'm doing everything in my power to see to it that Grissom doesn't do this. I need you, Casey, and Herrmann to lead this team. If they see that one of you guys are not focused, then the team's morale goes down. We have already lost too much this year, we need to stick together as a team." Boden said.

Casey and Severide nodded their heads in agreement. They left Boden's office and headed to the common room. On their way, they ran into Herrmann.

"Hey Herrmann, come here." Casey said.

Herrmann walked over to see what they wanted.

"So, Boden just informed us that Grissom is trying to get Severide transferred to OFI for good. He's told us that we have to lead our team and keep the morale up so the team doesn't get distracted. We know we have the annual Christmas Eve party coming up. Do you think that we could possibly play Dirty Santa as long as we try to keep it PG or PG-13?" Casey explained.

"Cindy can help with that. Listen, you know Boden's rule about being the first one to tell who you have to buy for?" Herrman said.

"Yeah? What about it?" Severide said.

"I got Ritter and I'm completely clueless as to what to get the guy." Herrmann said.

"He loves his dog. Why don't you get him something for Tuesday or get him something for him and his boyfriend." Casey suggested.

"Like what?" Herrmann asked.

"I don't know. Maybe offer him and his boyfriend a night at Molly's free of charge or something. I honestly don't know." Severide chimmed in.

"Same here. No idea. Maybe get him an ornament with the CFD logo on it or something." Casey said.

"Cindy would know. Thanks guys." Herrmann said as he scurried off.

Casey and Severide let out a small laugh and then headed to Casey's office to discuss Christmas gifts for Stella and Brett. Before coming back to the firehouse, Brett and Foster stopped by the apartment to meet the attendant who was bringing the Christmas tree to Brett and Casey's apartment. The attendant set the tree up and and after making sure that everything was alright, Brett and Foster headed back to the firehouse. Brett and Foster arrived back at the firehouse and Brett started working on the report for the call that she and Foster were just on when she looked up and saw Casey and Severide walk into the common room. Casey walked over to the kitchen counter where Gallo was at. It was Gallo's turn to cook dinner for everyone.

"Hey Gallo, how's it going?" Casey asked.

"Hey, Captain. Uh, just trying to make sure that I have enough for everyone." Gallo said nervously.

Casey took a look.

"Add about four more pounds and you're good." Casey said and then left.

Gallo did just that. He was cooking ribs for dinner but he needed to add about four more pounds of ribs in order to let everyone have enough. Casey walked over to Brett who was still working on the report.

"How was the call?" Casey asked.

"Let's just say that it was crazy. Oh, uh Foster and I stopped by the apartment and the guy set the tree up for us." Brett said in frustration.

Casey knew that the call must have been bad based on Brett's response. She was tense and considering she nearly forgot about the tree, she wasn't in a good mood, but Casey didn't take it personally. The patient barely made it to Med but it seemed like the patient would be ok. Casey gently rubbed Brett's shoulders to let her know he was there for her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap. It's just that call was intense. It reminded me of..." Brett trailed off.

Casey knew what she was going to say and reassured her that everything is ok, at least for right now. Boden came in to tell everyone that they had the rest of today and all of tomorrow to decorate the firehouse for Christmas. Casey, Severide, and Herrmann went to bring the Christmas decorations out of storage. Ritter and Gallo went to help as well as they were the newbies at the firehouse. When they all returned with several boxes of Christmas decorations. Everyone pitched in to decorate the firehouse common room for Christmas for the Christmas Eve party.

"Looks good." Boden said.

Just then, the alarm sounded for Truck 81 to leave. Casey hurried out in a hurry and met the rest of the truck members by the truck. As Truck 81 left for their call, Brett and Foster were finishing up decorating.

"So, what are you getting Casey for Christmas?" Foster asked.

"For the party or for Christmas?" Brett asked.

"Both." Foster giggled.

"Well, Matt was complaining that his tool box is falling apart, so I thought about getting him a new one. As for the party, I haven't thought about it. Maybe I could make him something." Brett nervously said.

"Brett, that's it! Make Casey something." Foster said excitedly.

"The question is, what do I make him?" Brett asked.

"You paint, right?" Foster said.

"Yeah, but I'm not really good at it." Brett said.

"Brett, I've seen your paintings from when we've hung out at your apartment. They are good." Foster said.

"Yeah?" Brett asked.

"Yeah. Really good." Foster said.

"Then I guess I know what I'm getting Matt for Christmas." Brett smiled.

"So, what are you getting Severide?" Brett asked.

"I had to tell Stella. She said Severide wants a baseball glove so that he can play baseball with the kids at our events. Go figure." Foster said.

"That's sweet." Brett said.

"You know, I think Severide is a big kid a heart." Foster joked.

"Shh...he's coming." Brett laughed.

"What are you two talking about?" Severide asked.

"The Christmas Eve party." Brett covered.

"Yeah, I think Boden went a little overboard this year." Severide joked.

Brett and Foster looked around.

"Yeah, you're right." Foster said.

They laughed. A few minutes later, Truck 81 came back from the call. As everyone was hanging out in the common room, Boden walked in with a paper.

"Can I have everyone's attention? Just a reminder that our Christmas Eve party is in two days. Please make sure that you have signed the sheet on the bulletin board on what you are bringing to the party. Also, remember that Secret Santa STAYS Secret Santa. Do NOT put your name on your Secret Santa. If I find out, you will be on locker room and bathroom duty for a week, possibly more. That's all." Boden said as he went back to his office.

After Boden left, the whole house was stressed. Boden was set on having this Christmas Eve party, namely because of his son, Terrence, with his wife, Donna.

"Can this party just end already?" Stella complained.

"I wish." Mouch said.

"Well, we have two more days. Might as well make the most of it." Herrmann said.

"Let me guess. Cindy has already decorated the house and is in a very Christmassy mood." Mouch joked.

"Yep. Cindy loves the holidays. Lucky for us, she's making her special pumpkin rolls. She only makes them for Thanksgiving and Christmas." Herrmann said.

"I love her pumpkin rolls." Stella said.

"She makes the best." Herrman replied.

"Hey Stella, what are you bringing?" Brett asked.

"Myself and Severide." Stella joked.

Brett gave her friend a look.

"Kidding. I'm bringing those fudge brownies that Mouch loves." Stella said.

Mouch heard that and smiled.

"Stella, you're the best." Mouch smiled.

"Hey Sylvie, can I talk to you?" Cruz asked.

"Sure." Brett replied.

Brett got up from her seat and walked into the hallway with Cruz.

"What's up?" Brett asked.

"Chloe's parents are coming in for Christmas. I'm kind of nervous." Cruz nervously said.

Brett could tell that Cruz was nervous.

"Joe, just be yourself. I'm sure they'll love you. We all do and plus, Chloe will be there." Brett said.

"There's one more thing. You see, Chloe is making the guest list and she wants you to be a bridesmaid. She said she would have asked you herself, but she thought I should ask for her since you and I dated." Cruz said.

They both giggled.

"Tell Chloe that I would be happy to be a bridesmaid. I just need to know the day, the time, and place and I'll be there." Brett smiled.

"I'll give Chloe your number so you two can do girl things. Do you think Casey would be a groomsman? Severide is my best man." Cruz said.

"I don't see why he wouldn't be but you better ask him." Brett said.

"Thanks, Sylvie." Cruz said before giving her a hug.

Brett and Cruz walked back into the common room.

"What was that about?" Stella asked.

"Oh, Chloe's parents are coming in and he's a nervous wreck. He also said that Chloe wants me to be a bridesmaid but she was too nervous to ask me herself,  
so he asked for her. He said he would give Chloe my number for us to get together." Brett explained.

"I think he still loves you." Stella said.

"Wait a minute, still loves her? What are you talking about?" Foster asked.

"Cruz and Brett dated a few years ago." Stella said.

"For a very short time. We decided that we were better off as friends." Brett said.

Meanwhile, Cruz was talking to Casey.

"Casey, I have something I need to ask you." Cruz said nervously.

"What's up?" Casey asked.

"Severide is my best man, but I was wondering, will you be one of my groomsman?" Cruz asked.

Casey was shocked. He and Cruz weren't close but they had began to hang out a lot lately.

"Of course, man. Thanks for asking." Casey said.

"Thanks man." Cruz smiled.

"Dinner time!" Gallo yelled.

Everyone gathered around the kitchen counter so that they could get a plate of ribs. After dinner was over, they cleaned up the mess and got ready for the shift change before heading home. Both Brett and Casey were exhausted and just wanted to relax after a long and eventful day.


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

It was the day of the Christmas Eve party at Firehouse 51. Brett rode with Foster to help set up early at the firehouse. Casey and Brett haven't had time to decorate the tree they bought due to work priorities. Brett hated leaving Casey so early, but he told her to take the early shift so she could be home early for Christmas. Casey's shift started an hour after Brett shift started. Casey, Herrmann, and Severide had to go to a meeting with Boden. Brett and Foster were almost finished with setting up the tables for the food. They made sure there was enough chairs for everyone to sit in. The only thing left for them to do was put the table cloths on the tables.

"Which table cloths go on the tables?" Foster asked.

"Boden said he wants us to rotate the colors red and white for the tables." Brett explained.

"Got it." Foster said.

They put the table cloths on the tables the way that Boden wanted and then sat down. Second and third shift were working in place of first shift. Every year, the house rotates which shift is off for the holidays. This year, first shift got dibs to be off, so second and third shift had to work in their place. It wasn't a bad compromise as everyone agreed to it and it worked out for everyone.

"Hey, have you and Casey decorated the tree for Christmas yet?" Foster asked.

Brett laughed.

"No. We've been working so much that we haven't had time. We are planning on decorating it tonight." Brett said.

"I hope you guys decorate it. Christmas is tomorrow." Foster said.

"Lucky for all of us, we get full pay for a half day of work. Not too bad." Brett joked.

"What about the the presents?" Foster asked.

"Small ones go on the tree, big ones under the tree." Brett explained.

Stella and the others came in a little late, per Boden's orders.

"What do you guys need help with?" Stella asked as she came into the common room.

"Uh, can you make sure the stereo is playing Christmas music? Boden said he wanted Christmas music playing when everyone comes in. Herrmann said he's going to get Cindy and the kids after his meeting, Casey and Severide should be on their way here, and Boden said that he was going to get Donna and Terrence after the meeting. Mouch is waiting on Trudy to get off work and Cruz and Chloe should be here any time. As for Gallo and Ritter, I have no idea." Brett explained.

Stella walked over to the stereo and turned it on.

"There's no CD in here. Should I just put on a Christmas playlist from YouTube to play?" Stella asked.

"Sure. I don't see why not." Brett replied.

Brett looked around and saw that everything was set up and ready to go.

"Now what?" Foster asked.

"We wait on everyone to come in." Brett replied.

"So, Brett. What did you get Casey for Christmas?" Stella asked.

"A painting." Brett replied.

Stella gave her a confused look.

"A painting?" Stella asked.

"I painted a painting for Casey. I figured I might as well put some of my hidden talent to use." Brett laughed.

"That's cool." Stella said.

"What are you getting Severide?" Brett asked.

"A six pack and me." Stella joked.

"Seriously?" Foster asked.

"No. I'm getting him tickets to a Chicago Cubs game next year." Stella said.

"That's awesome. Wish I could get tickets to a game." Foster said.

"He has no idea he's getting them. Not a word from you two." Stella said.

Brett and Foster pretended to zip their mouths.

"Thanks." Stella said.

As the women continued to talk, everyone from the firehouse started coming in one by one. Casey came over to Brett and gave her a kiss.

"What was that for?" Brett smiled.

"You're standing under the mistletoe. Plus, I just love kissing you." Casey grinned.

Casey had a way of making Brett go weak in the knees at any given time and she loved it.

"I love kissing you, too. Hey, uh, don't forget that we have to decorate the tree tonight." Brett said.

"I won't." Casey replied.

"You by chance didn't see the mistletoe at the apartment did you? I thought it was in the box with the Christmas decorations." Brett said.

"Uh, no. Why?" Casey asked, pretending not to know what Brett was talking about.

"I was hoping to hang it up in the living room." Brett teased.

"Oh yeah?" Casey asked with a sly grin.

"Yeah." Brett teased.

They kissed and then began to mingle with everyone.

"This pumpkin roll is amazing!" Stella said as she ate one of Cindy's pumpkin rolls.

"I spent all day yesterday making them." Cindy said.

"Not to mention, she had all the kids." Herrmann chimed in.

Boden walked over with Donna.

"Hey, Chief!" Herrmann said.

"Herrmann. Cindy, it's always a pleasure." Boden said.

Everyone was having a good time. Boden announced it was time to eat and they formed two lines down the table. It was a good turn out. Cindy had made her famous pumpkin rolls. Donna made some pasta salad and lasagna. Brett, with Casey's help, made homemade sugar cookies and brownies. Stella and Severide brought a fruit tray that they bought from the store. Trudy had made turkey with gravy. Capp and Tony brought chips and soda. Ritter brought a vegetable tray and Gallo brought the stuffing and corn. Foster made a cherry pie. Chloe had made a greenbean casserole and mashed potatoes. Needless to say, Firehouse 51 had an amazing Christmas dinner. Everyone sat down and began to eat, catching up with each other and their spouses. After dinner was over, Boden announced that it was time for Secret Santa.

"Well, even though we had Christmas dinner early and I know we are all anxious to go home and celebrate Christmas with our families, it's time for Secret Santa. You cannot say who you got until everyone has opened their gifts, alright. Let's start with Casey." Boden said.

Boden handed Casey a medium sized gift. Casey opened it and immediately knew who had his name. He had seen her working on this painting in the apartment and even told her that he loved the painting. He smiled. The painting was of a firefighter kneeling in front of a firehouse. It was one of the paintings that she had spent months on but never finished. Truth be told, she couldn't draw. She got some stencils and had a friend of hers draw the picture for her but she painted it. When Foster suggested that she make Casey something for Christmas, she knew exactly what to make. Casey knew that Brett had painted this picture and he loved it.

"Casey, that is absolutely gorgeous." Stella said as Casey showed the whole room what he got.

"Whoever bought that or painted that, did amazing." Donna said. "Look at the textures."

Everyone loved the painting. Casey gave Brett a wink and smile. He knew he had a keeper in Brett.

"Next up, Cruz." Boden said.

Cruz opened his gift. It was a small pocket knife with the name "JOE" engraved on it. Cruz's face it up.

"Thank you, Secret Santa. My other one broke so I actually needed this. Thanks." Cruz said.

"Next up, Stella." Boden said as he handed Stella her gift.

"You all know me so well." Stella said as she held up her gift.

It was a gift basket that had some shampoo, conditioner, soap, bath bombs, and a loofa in it. If anyone knew Stella, they knew that she enjoys her showers. She always took the longest in the firehouse when taking a shower.

"Alright, Severide. You're up." Boden said.

Severide got his gift and opened it. It was a blue tumbler cup that said, "LT. K. SEVERIDE" on it.

"Thank you, Secret Santa." Severide said.

Boden continued on with everyone until he finally got to Brett, who was the last to go.

"We saved the best for last. Brett, you're up." Boden smiled.

Boden handed Brett her gift. As she opened her gift, she noticed it was a small box. She opened the box and saw a necklace. She took the necklace out and looked at it. She saw the engraving on the back, "To the moon and back." Small tears started forming in her eyes. She loved it. She hid her tears so that no one would notice.

"Sylvie, it's absolutely beautiful." Donna said.

"Stunning." Trudy replied.

"Thank you, Secret Santa." Brett said with a smile.

"Thank you all for doing this. You all might notice that there is one extra gift here. This is for Otis. I forgot to take his name out of the hat and so when we all drew names, I went first. I got his name. I think it's only fitting that Cruz opens Otis's gift, so Cruz, will you do the honors?" Boden asked Cruz.

"Absolutely, Chief." Cruz said as he walked over to the tree and grabbed Otis's gift.

Cruz opened it and smiled with tears forming in his eyes. It was perfect. It was a picture frame that had a picture of Otis with everyone at Firehouse 51.  
Little did they all know that this picture would be the last picture that Otis would ever take with all of them together.

"Chief, it's perfect." Cruz said as he got choked up.

"If it's alright with you and everyone else, I would like this picture to hang in this room so that every firefighter and person that comes in this room, sees that Otis is never going to be forgotten." Boden said.

Everyone agreed that this picture belonged in this room. It's their last picture with Otis before the fire that took his life. This meant so much to every single person in that room, including the spouses because they were close to Otis as well. After Boden hung the picture up, everyone helped cleaned up and then they all headed home. Everyone had left and went home. After Brett and Casey arrived home, he closed the door behind him and pulled Brett close to him.

"I have waited all day to do this." Casey teased.

"Oh really?" Brett teased back.

"Mmhmm." Casey said as he placed a kiss on Brett's lips.

She didn't waste any time in returning the kiss. Casey pulled away and smiled.

"I knew the minute I saw this painting that it was from you." Casey smiled.

"I remember you asking me who drew it and I told you it was a friend of mine. You also said that you loved how I captured the colors of everything." she smiled.

"I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. I love you so much." he smiled.

"I love you, too." she smiled back.

"What do you say we get this tree decorated for tomorrow." Casey said.

"Let's do it." Brett happily replied.

They started decorating the Christmas tree and neither of them have ever felt so happy and so safe with someone as they have in this very moment. It was the perfect way to spend the rest of the night together.


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

Brett and Casey were decorating the Christmas tree in their apartment. The first thing that Casey did was put the Christmas lights on the tree. Brett hated the white Christmas lights. She preferred the brightly different colored lights and Casey wasn't about to deny her what she wanted. It made her feel like she was at home in Fowlerton with her parents. She missed them but she knew if she went back to Fowlerton, she wouldn't enjoy it. Casey never brought the subject up out of respect to Brett. After hanging the lights on the tree, Brett started hanging the ornaments from the box onto the tree. One by one, she and Casey were hanging ornaments.

"Did you make these?" Casey asked.

"Some of them. I made them when I was little. My mom gave them to me when I told her I was moving to Chicago." Brett smiled.

"That was sweet of her." Casey said as he and Brett continued to hang ornaments.

"Yeah, it was." Brett frowned.

Casey could tell that Brett missed her parents but she couldn't go back to Fowlerton. Fowlerton is one of those places that once you are there, it's hard to leave. Brett spent most of her life in Fowlerton and desperately wanted out. She made a mistake in moving back to Fowlerton with Kyle and if her best friends hadn't came to get her, there's no telling what would have happened. Brett felt suffocated in Fowlerton. She was so happy to be back in Chicago where she belongs. They were almost finished decorating the tree when Casey found a special ornament.

"What's this?" Casey asked as he pulled out the last ornament from the box.

"That is Otis's ornament. When I spent my first Christmas here with him and Cruz, they wanted me to feel like I was at home, so we made ornaments. His didn't turn out that great and Cruz and I teased Otis but over the course of what, five years, we all came to love it. Our tree was never complete without his ornament." Brett said with a small giggle.

"I see what you mean. To finish the tree, why don't you hang it." Casey said as he handed Brett the ornament.

Brett took the ornament from Casey's hands and carefully hung it on the tree. The only thing left to do was get a topper for the tree. Brett looked and couldn't find the angel. She found the star but not the angel.

"I gotta call Cruz." Brett said as she grabbed her phone and dialed his number.

Cruz heard his phone ring and immediately answered it when he saw Brett's name come on the screen.

"Hey Sylvie." Cruz said.

"Joe, have you seen the angel? You know, the one that we put on our tree every year?" Brett frantically said.

Cruz knew the angel topper she was talking about and felt guilty.

"Uh, yeah. Please, don't get mad. I took the angel after you moved back to Fowlerton and after Otis died. I'm so sorry I forgot to tell you." Cruz said with guilt.

Brett was relieved. She thought that the angel topper went missing or was misplaced.

"I'm not mad. I just nearly had a small meltdown from not knowing where it went." Brett giggled.

"It's safe and sound. If it's alright with you, we can rotate who gets it. Next year, you can have it." Cruz smiled.

"Joe, I'd like that. Thank you." Brett smiled.

"Merry Christmas, Sylvie." Cruz said softly.

"Merry Christmas, Joe." Brett smiled.

They hung up the phone and Casey gave her a look.

"What was that about?" Casey asked, confused.

"The angel topper for the tree. Joe has it but we decided to rotate it every year. It was Otis's angel topper. He bought it the second year we were in this apartment." Brett said.

Casey realized that the angel topper meant a lot to Brett.

"I know it's not an angel topper, but will this be ok?" Casey asked as he pulled out a gift for Brett.

She took the gift and opened it. It was a star topper for the Christmas tree that Casey had custom made for Brett. In the middle of the star was a picture of Otis and Brett with Cruz photobombing them. Brett always told Casey that this picture was her favorite. She has a copy of the picture in her locker at the firehouse.

"Matt, I love it." Brett whispered as tears trailed down her face.

Casey wiped the tears from Brett's eyes and then Brett placed the star on top of the tree. Standing back and looking at the beautiful finished Christmas tree, Casey wrapped his arms around Brett's waist and pulled her close to him. She leaned her back into Casey's body and placed her head on his shoulder.

"This is our new tradition." Casey whispered in Brett's ear.

"I love it and I love you." Brett whispered.

"I love you, too." Casey whispered back.

"Do we still have that leftover food from the party? I'm a little hungry." Brett giggled.

"Uh yeah." Casey said as he walked into the kitchen.

Casey grabbed the grocery store bag that had three take out boxes in them. He pulled the boxes out from the bag and grabbed two plates from the cabinet. Brett walked over to the kitchen where Casey handed her a plate. They opened the boxes and got some of the food out and placed it on their plates. Brett warmed her plate up in the microwave, followed by Casey. After they got their plates and grabbed some forks, they walked over to the couch where they started watching the movie, The Spirit of Christmas. Brett was a sucker for romance movies. They ate their food while the movie played on the TV. When they were finished eating, Casey took their plates to the kitchen and then came back over to the couch. He pulled Brett close to him and they laid on the couch,  
enjoying the rest of their evening together.

"Thank you for the beautiful necklace." Brett whispered.

"How did you figure out that it was me?" Casey teased.

"When you and I were talking right before I left town, I said that I would always care for you to the moon and you said 'and back' and that was sort of our little thing. So when I read the back of it, I knew exactly what it meant and what it stood for." Brett smiled.

"I didn't know what else to get you and I saw you looking at this necklace a few weeks ago when we went to the mall." Casey said.

"That's true." Brett happily told her boyfriend.

The movie was almost over and Brett began to get curious. She knew the mistletoe was in the box with the Christmas decorations but she wasn't sure what had happened to it. She assumed that Cruz got it when he got the angel out. Casey noticed her face was filled with curiosity.

"What's wrong?" Casey asked.

"I know there was some mistletoe in that box. Maybe Joe got it when he got the angel." Brett curiously said.

Casey laughed. He knew exactly where that mistletoe was.

"What's so funny?" Brett asked.

"I just remembered that I have another Christmas present for you but if you don't want it, I won't be upset or anything." Casey grinned.

Brett was even more curious now.

"I'll be back. I have to make a phone call to see if it has came in. I'll be right back." Casey teased.

"Ok." Brett whispered.

Casey went into his bedroom, closed the door, and set up some candles. He placed rose petals on the bed in the shape of a heart. He then connected his phone to his Bluetooth player in his room and turned the volume down really low. He played their song, "Kiss Me" by Ed Sheeran. He came out of his bedroom and met Brett at the couch.

"Hey beautiful, come with me for a minute." Casey flashed his beautiful smile.

Brett didn't hesitate. She quickly got up off the couch.

"Before I show you something, do you trust me enough to blindfold you?" Casey asked.

Brett trusted Casey with everything she had.

"I trust you." Brett said, giving Casey permission to blindfold her.

He blindfolded her and led her to his bedroom. He quietly opened the door and led her into the bedroom.

"Keep your eyes closed." Casey said as he took the blindfold off.

He took the blindfold off and placed it on his dresser. She heard the song playing, which Casey had on repeat for a reason.

"Ok, now open them." Casey whispered.

Brett took in the scene. Casey was so thoughtful and he had no idea that she was wanting this just as much as he wanted this.

"Matt." Brett said with a huge smile.

"Merry Christmas." Casey smiled.

"Merry Christmas." Brett whispered.

Casey gently kissed Brett's soft lips. She returned the kiss with passion and did not pull back. Casey stopped to take in the beautiful sight of Brett.

"Are you sure?" Casey asked, wanting to know that this feeling was mutual.

"Yes." Brett grinned.

Casey leaned in and kissed with with passion. She took his shirt off to reveal his bare chest. She kissed him some more. He took Brett's shirt off and the next thing they knew, they were in the bed. After what seemed like forever, they finally pulled away from kissing. Both of them were glowing after what just happened. Looking up at the ceiling, Brett saw mistletoe.

"So that's where the mistletoe went." she giggled.

"Yep." Casey grinned.

"Matt, you were amazing. This was amazing." Brett said, loosing her train of thought.

"No, you were amazing and what's even more amazing is that we waited so long that it was worth it. Seeing you, all of you, and having you this close to me is all I could ever ask for." he whispered.

"I love you." she whispered.

"I love you, too." he whispered back.

They kissed each other and then cuddled the rest of the night. This was by far, the best Christmas that either of them have ever had. The next morning, they woke up next to each other, both happy about the night before.

"Good morning, beautiful." Casey said.

"Good morning." Brett replied happily.

"What do you want to do on this beautiful Christmas morning?" Casey asked.

"Do you think we could go ice skating? I mean, it has been been a while since I've been ice skating, but that's something we could do." Brett suggested.

"You know, that sounds like fun. Let's do it." Casey smiled.

"You know what else is something? It's not Christmas without Christmas dinner." Brett said.

"Well lucky for us, Herrmann and Cindy invited us to have dinner with them this evening around 6:00." Casey flashed his signature grin.

"Wait, what? When did they invite us?" Brett questioned.

"Last night while you and Foster were helping Gallo and Ritter clean up the tables, Herrmann pulled me aside and asked me if you and I had plans. I told him that I wasn't sure and he said that since this is our first time spending Christmas as a couple and our first Christmas without Otis, he thought you might be missing Otis and invited us to dinner for Christmas. Cindy stopped me and said that she insists on us spending Christmas with her and Herrmann because she knows what you have been through and that we have been through a lot this year. I told her I would talk to you about it." Casey explained.

Brett was taken aback. She wasn't angry or mad, she was happy. Boden, Mouch, and Herrmann were like her father figures at 51. She was closest to Herrmann and Boden, but Herrmann did things for her that even her own father wouldn't do. Her face lit up at the thought of having an actual family Christmas even though it wasn't with her family. Ever since she left for Chicago the first time, her family just hasn't been as close to her as they used to be.

"I would absoutely love that!" Brett excitedly said.

They kissed and then got ready for the day. While Casey was taking a shower, Brett went to her room to get some clean close and then her phone rang. It was her mom.

"Hello?" Brett asked.

"Sylvie, sweetie, it's your mom." Brett's mom said.

"Hi mom. Merry Christmas to you and dad." Brett half smiled.

"Merry Christmas sweetheart. Your dad and I were wondering if you were going to come home for Christmas." her mom said.

Brett quickly looked up flights to Fowlerton but the airport was closed due to the snowstorm that hit last night.

"I was going to but we got hit with a terrible snowstorm and the airport is closed. All the flights have been canceled until further notice. I'm sorry, mom.  
I miss you and dad." Brett said.

"Let me talk to her." Brett's dad yelled in the background of the phone call.

Brett's mom handed the phone to Brett's dad.

"Sylvie, sweetheart. I want you to listen to me. We love and miss you. We aren't mad that you aren't coming. It's not your fault, but if you can, do you think you and that man you're with, uh, Cassidy, uh, Casey, could try to come for Easter?" her father asked.

"We'll try. I promise." Brett smiled.

"Alright sweetheart. Merry Christmas, Sylvie. We love you." her dad said.

"I love you guys too." Brett said.

They hung up the phone and Brett was making sure that she had the perfect Christmas outfit to wear today before going to take a shower. As Brett came out of her room with her clothes, she was met with Casey, who was coming out of the bathroom. He kissed her and she teased him by trying to take the towel off that was wrapped around his waist.

"You want round two?" Casey teased.

"What if I said yeah?" Brett teased.

"Then I would say come on." Casey teased.

They kissed for a minute before Brett pulled back.

"Uh, before I get a shower, I need to tell you something." Brett told Casey.

Brett was serious and Casey knew not to joke with her.

"Ok." Casey said.

Brett told Casey about her parents calling her and what they said. He smiled and agreed that if they were still together come Easter, then they would drive to Fowlerton together. They knew that anything could happen and that they may not work out but taking things day by day is all they want to do. After she told Casey about her parents, she went and got a shower while Casey got dressed. After the shower, she went and got dressed. After they got ready and were ready to head out for the day. When they walked outside, the snow was probably about a foot deep. The roads were completely covered and you couldn't walk on most of the sidewalks for the most part. City workers were out clearing the roads and sidewalks but the sidewalk by their apartment was clear enough to walk. Lucky for them, Herrmann and Cindy only lived about two blocks from them and they didn't have to walk that far. It was cold out, but not brutally cold like it usually is when a snowstorm hits. They figured that the ice rink would be closed because of the storm and they were right. They spent the day just walking around the city and enjoying each other's company. After walking around Chicago for most of the afternoon, they went back to the apartment to warm up and grab lunch.

"I forgot how beautiful the city is when it snows. We haven't had this much snow in a while. Last time it snowed this bad, I had just moved here." Brett laughed.

"Yeah, but you've been here when it snows." Casey replied.

"Not like this, though." Brett joked.

Casey kissed her and then grabbed graham crackers and marshmellows from the cabinet above the stove.

"We're out of chocolate." Casey said.

"A smore is a smore no matter what." Brett teased.

Casey and Brett made some smores for a snack. It was only 4:00 p.m. and they had to be at Herrmann's house by 6:00. They ate their smores and then changed into a different outfit for Christmas dinner at Herrmann and Cindy's house. Casey changed into black dress pants and black dress shoes with a navy blue dress shirt and jacket. He sprayed some of his Calvin Klein cologne on and came out of his bedroom. Meanwhile, Brett changed into a pair of blue jeans that looked similar to dress pants, a red dress shirt with a red spaghetti strap shirt underneath it, and a pair of black dress flats. She brushed her hair and then did a half up, half down hair do. She did her make up, adding just enough eyeliner to bring out her eyes and a nude shade of eye shadow for a little color. She sprayed some of her Victoria's Secret perfume on and took a look in the mirror. She was missing something. She decided to wear the necklace that Casey had given her for Christmas. After making sure she was ready, she came out of her bedroom. The sight of Brett made Casey's heart skip a beat. She was absolutely stunning, but then again, when is she not? He smiled as they gathered their coats and headed out the door.

"You ready?" Casey asked.

"Absolutely." Brett said.

Since Herrmann and Cindy only lived about two blocks from them, Brett decided to leave her purse at the apartment. They headed to Herrmann and Cindy's house and took in the sights of the beautiful Christmas lights that lit up the street as they walked. They arrived at Herrman and Cindy's house and Casey knocked on the door. Cindy answered the door where she happily greeted the two of them.

"Matthew, Sylvie, please come in." Cindy greeted Brett and Casey.

They stepped into the house and Cindy closed the door.

"Here, let me take your coats." Cindy smiled.

"There he is!" Herrmann yelled as he greeted Brett and Casey.

"Hey Herrmann." Casey said.

They shook hands and then he greeted Brett.

"Sylvie." Herrmann smiled.

"Herrmann." Brett sweetly said with a smile.

"Welcome to the Herrmann Family Christmas Dinner. The kids are in there playing with their Christmas presents." Herrmann said as he motioned towards the den where the kids were playing.

"Dinner is almost ready. This is the dining room and in there is the living room. Feel free to make yourselves at home. Christopher and I will be right back." Cindy happily told Brett and Casey.

Herrmann went with Cindy to the kitchen to help place the finish food on the dinner table in the dining room. When all the food was placed on the table, it was time to eat.

"Dinner's ready!" Herrmann yelled.

Brett, Casey, Cindy, Herrmann, and the kids all sat at the table. Herrmann was at the head of the table with Cindy on the other end of the table. Herrmann's four children, Lee Henry, Luke, Max, and Kenny sat to the left of Herrmann, while Annabelle, Brett, and Casey sat to the right. Everyone started passing the food around to fill their plates up.

"Cindy, this is delicious." Brett said as she tasted a bite of glazed ham.

"Thank you. I'm glad you like it." Cindy smiled.

Cindy always had a smile on her face, unless one of the children got in trouble or Herrmann got hurt. Cindy is literally the sweetest person that Brett has ever met and Cindy had a way of making everyone feel loved. In a way, she was the surrogate mother to the younger crew at Firehouse 51 like Casey, Brett, Severide, Stella, and so on. Everyone was talking and enjoying dinner. Herrmann had everyone laughing and Cindy was telling embarrassing stories about Herrmann from when they first got together. Even the children were telling embarrassing stories. Herrmann didn't mind the stories as they were a part of his family's memories. Herrmann knew a little about Brett's family history and Cindy did as well, so they tried to make this Christmas one that she would always remember. After dinner, everyone gathered in the living room to play Dirty Santa, including Brett and Casey.

"Every year after dinner, it's tradition that we play a few rounds of Dirty Santa. It's a game in which Cindy wraps up the most absurd things or things that we don't use anymore and we all draw a number, including Cindy. Say you drew the number one and go first. You open the gift in front of everyone and if you decide to keep it and I have number two, I can either steal your gift or pick from the pile. If I steal your gift, you can't steal it back. You have to draw from the pile of gifts and that's the present your stuck with. It keeps going on and on until everyone has a gift. Now, at the end of the game, you can either put the gift back to be wrapped again for the second round or you can keep it. The choice is yours." Herrmann explained.

"Sounds like fun!" Brett said with excitement.

She had never played Dirty Santa before. Neither had Casey.

"Why do I get the feeling that this game is about to get competitive." Casey said.

"Because it does." Cindy laughed.

The game began and Cindy was right. The game became very competitive. This was the best Christmas that Brett could have ever asked for and the fact that she and the others didn't have to go back to work until after the new year, just made this holiday that more special.


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

Brett and Casey were having so much fun at Herrmann and Cindy's house for Christmas. They played Dirty Santa, which no one really wanted the gifts but Brett and Casey decided to be nice and keep their Dirty Santa gifts as to not hurt the family's feelings. After playing Dirty Santa, Cindy walked over to the Christmas tree and grabbed two small gift boxes, walked over to the couch where Brett and Casey were sitting, handed them the boxes, and then sat down in the reclining chair beside the couch.

"What's this?" Casey asked.

"It's just a little something from us for Christmas." Cindy smiled.

"Aw, you guys didn't have to do that." Brett said.

"I know we didn't have to but we wanted you guys to have a great Christmas. You both have been through so much. This is just our way of saying put the past behind you and move forward. Stay positive and everything will work itself out." Cindy cheerfully said.

"Thank you. Both of you." Brett smiled.

"Well, go on. Open them!" Herrmann said.

Casey went first. He pulled out a firefighter ornament with his name on it.

"Cindy made that. There's literally nothing that she can't make." Herrmann said.

"Oh don't listen to him. There's a lot of things I can't make but I try." Cindy laughed.

"I love it. Thank you guys." Casey said with a smile.

"Sylvie, your turn." Cindy smiled.

Sylvie pulled out an ambulance ornament with her name on it.

"I love it." Brett said with tears forming in her eyes.

"Every year, it's tradition in our family that we make personalized ornaments. Now, you are officially part of our family." Cindy smiled.

"Thank you." Brett smiled.

After chatting for a little while, Brett and Casey walked back to their apartment. It had truly been a great Christmas for the both of them. When they got home, they changed into their pajamas and went to bed. The next morning, Severide called and he and Casey made plans to hang out, while Stella and Foster had a girls day with Brett. There was a knock on the door and it was Severide, Stella, and Foster.

"Come on in." Casey said as he stepped away from the doorway to let the three of them in.

"You ready, buddy?" Severide smirked.

"Let's go." Casey said.

Casey gave Brett a kiss.

"I love you." Casey said.

"I love you, too." Brett said.

Severide gave Stella a kiss as well and then the two men headed out to do their thing while the ladies had their much needed girl's day.

"Someone's glowing and it's not from Christmas. Spill it." Stella said.

Brett smiled.

"Spill what?" Brett asked with a smile.

"Girl, your face is glowing." Foster teased.

"I'm just happy." Brett deflected.

"Yeah we see that, but there's something else going on." Foster replied.

"I'm just happy." Brett commented.

"Sylvie Brett, you haven't been this happy in months. The only time you have been happy lately is when you're with Casey." Stella explained.

Foster and Stella stopped for a minute and realized why Brett was so happy.

"Wait a minute, you and Casey slept together!" Foster exclaimed.

"Shh...not so loud." Brett interjected.

"So, how was it?" Stella asked with a smile.

"It was so amazing. It was by far the best I have ever had but in a good way. It was special and romantic. It was everything that I have ever wanted and the fact that it was with Matt, well, I've never been so happy." Brett explained.

"Good for you. You deserve to be happy." Stella said.

"I am." Brett grinned.

"What did Casey get you for Christmas?" Stella asked.

Brett showed them the necklace.

"That's the necklace you got at the party." Foster said.

Brett nodded her head.

"Casey was your Secret Santa? That's so sweet." Foster said.

"He's the best. I don't know how anyone could have ever hurt him. He's the most amazing man that I have ever known." Brett smiled.

"Our girl has got it bad." Stella joked.

"Wait, what?" Brett asked.

"You know you do." Foster teased.

Brett kept smiling.

"I do." Brett laughed.

"So, what's the plan for today? The guys have their own thing they are doing." Stella said.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm down to just binge watch some Grey's Anatomy and eat pizza." Foster joked.

"I'm down with that." Stella said.

"Me too. Let's do it." Brett said as she turned on the DVR and TV.

Brett scrolled through the DVR until she found the Grey's Anatomy season that she had been currently recording while she and Casey were at work. She pressed play on the remote and the first episode of the season played. She placed an order for three pizzas for delivery and the ladies were doing their own thing.  
Meanwhile, Severide and Casey were doing their thing.

"Kelly, why in the world did you talk me into this?" Casey asked as he and Severide were working on Severide's truck in the cold.

"Because I have to get this fixed and I miss my best friend." Severide joked.

"I'm not anywhere." Casey laughed.

"I know. It's just ever since the whole OFI thing and you moving out, I just miss my best friend." Severide said.

Casey stopped working on Severide's truck and gave Severide a puzzling look.

"Dude, what's going on? You're acting very strange." Casey said.

Severide looked nervous.

"Truth?" Severide asked.

"Yeah, the truth. Don't give me none of that 'I haven't seen you in a while crap' because I know better than that." Casey replied.

"Truth is that I want your opinion on something. Cruz is getting married and asked me to be his best man, which I accepted but how would you feel about being my best man?" Severide cleverly asked.

Casey was taken aback.

"Wait, what?" Casey asked,

"Yeah, I'm thinking about proposing to Stella tonight and I would like for you and Brett to be there when I do." Severide said.

"Absolutely. Count me in." Casey added.

"Text Brett and tell her to get dressed up tonight that you are taking her to a romantic dinner. You know if she finds out that I'm gonna propose, she'll tell Stella and well, that will ruin everything." Severide said.

"I have a better idea." Casey said as he reached for his phone.

Casey pulled out his phone and called Brett. She saw the number on the phone and immediately answered it.

"Hello?" Brett asked.

"Hey beautiful, I was wondering if you wanted to get dressed up and go out on a romantic date tonight." Casey told Brett with a nervous tone.

Casey caught her off guard.

"Uh, yeah. Um, are you coming home or should I get ready before you come home?" Brett asked.

"Get ready before I come home. I forgot I still had some clothes at Severide's that I need to get, but I'll see you later tonight, beautiful." Casey smiled.

"I love you." Brett quickly replied.

"I love you, too." Casey added.

After they hung up the phone, Severide gave Casey a look.

"What?" Casey joked.

"You should see your face light up whenever you talk to her." Severide pointed out.

"Same could be said about you and Stella." Casey retorted.

"True but I love Stella and I want to ask her to marry me, but man, I'm nervous." Severide said.

"I know but I was nervous when I asked Brett out on a date for the first time." Casey said.

"That's different. You're not asking her to marry you in front of your two best friends." Severide nervously grinned.

"Dude, you're gonna be fine. Just remember to breathe." Casey laughed.

They continued to work on Severide's truck. When they were finished, they headed to Molly's for a drink. Meanwhile, the ladies were having their own fun in Brett's apartment.

"I don't know why, but I never get sick of watching this show." Foster said.

"You know I only watch it for the hot guys." Stella said.

"You're not the only one." Brett agreed.

"The women aren't so bad either." Foster chimed in.

Everyone at Firehouse 51 knows that Emily Foster is bisexual and that didn't bother any of them. In fact, they embraced her for who she was, which was something that she didn't have before.

"Which character is your favorite?" Stella asked Foster.

"It just might shock you, but I'm very fond of Alex." Foster said.

"I love Meredith and DeLuca's relationship but is it so bad that I secretly want her with Alex?" Brett giggled.

"Not at all. I think we all want her and Alex to be together. I want DeLuca with Jo. I think they have more chemistry." Stella said.

They continued to binge watch Grey's Anatomy and gossip.

"So, what did Casey want when he called earlier?" Foster asked.

"He wants me to wear a dress because he's taking me out on a romantic date." Brett smiled.

"Girl, why didn't you say something? We have to fix your hair and do your makeup." Stella said.

Before Brett could answer, Stella's phone rang.

"Hello?" Stella asked.

"Hey, it's me. I have a question for you." Severide asked.

"What's up?" Stella asked.

"I heard Casey asking Brett out on a date earlier when he was helping me with my truck and it got me thinking. When was the last time you and I had a romantic date out? Just the two of us?" Severide asked.

"Uh, you know. I don't remember. It's been a while." Stella replied.

"Would you wanna go on a romantic date with me tonight?" Severide asked nervously.

"Of course." Stella smiled.

"Casey's getting ready over here tonight before he picks up Brett." Severide explained.

"That's no problem. I can get ready with Brett." Stella replied.

"Alright. See you tonight. I'll pick you up at Brett's. I love you." Severide said.

"Love you too." Stella replied.

Stella and Severide hung up the phone.

"That was weird." Stella said.

"What is?" Brett asked.

"Kelly wants me to get ready with you because he wants to take me out on a romantic date with just the two of us. Funny thing is, Casey asked you out on one just a few hours ago." Stella explained.

"That is a little weird." Brett said.

"You know what this means, don't you?" Foster said.

"No, what?" Stella asked.

"You two are going on a double date with your men." Foster said.

Stella and Brett gave each other a knowing look.

"I wonder what those two are up too. They only do something like this when they are up to something." Brett said.

"That's true. The last time I went on a date with Kelly, he took me to the theater for my birthday." Stella replied.

As they continued to chat, Foster suggested that they get ready together. It was already 4:00 p.m. and Casey told Brett he would pick her up at 7:00. Brett changed into a black strapless dress that came down to her knees and her black flats. Brett went through her closet and found one of Stella's dresses that she left there one night after her and Severide had gotten into a huge fight about something.

"Stella, I found your blue dress from that gala thing we went too a few months before I left with Kyle." Brett said as she gave Stella the dress.

"Oh yeah. That's when Kelly and I were fighting about my job and I took off. You and Foster followed me and we somehow ended up here." Stella laughed.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." Brett frowned.

Stella took the dress and put it on. Brett and Stella still had to do their hair and makeup. Lucky for them, Foster was great at fixing hair. She pulled Brett's hair into a fancy bun and left two pieces of hair hanging in front of her face. Foster curled those pieces and then worked on Brett's makeup. Foster put a little bit of eyeliner on Brett's eyes and then to finish, she gave Brett a nude color eye shadow, enough to brighten her eyes. Next was Stella's turn. Foster straightened Stella's hair and then did a half up, half down hair do. She put some eyeliner on Stella and then put on some eye shadow that matched Stella's skin tone to bring out Stella's big brown eyes. All that was left to do was find Stella some dress shoes. There was a pair of dress shoes that Brett had bought online but were too big for her, even though it was in her size. Stella tried on the the small heels and they fit perfectly. Both ladies were ready for an evening with their men, but neither of them knew what was about to happen.


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

Brett and Stella were ready for their date with their men, but neither of them were ready for what was going to happen. Foster left as soon as Stella's hair and makeup were finished. By the time the women had finished getting ready, it was 6:50 p.m. and Foster knew the men would be there very soon. She said her goodbyes to her friends and then left. Casey knocked on the door before letting himself and Severide into the apartment, just in case the women were still getting ready.

"Wow." Casey said with a look that only Brett knew.

"Wow yourself." Brett smiled.

"So, why do I get the feeling that you two decided to plan some sort of double date for us?" Stella joked.

Severide and Casey looked at each other.

"Guilty." both men said.

"So, where are we going?" Stella said looking at Severide.

"That's a surprise." Severide teased.

"We better get going. Don't wanna lose our reservations." Casey implied.

They women gathered their purses and Stella grabbed her clothes from earlier and they headed off. Stella and Severide rode together and Brett and Casey rode together. They all arrived at the restaurant and was greeted by the hostess.

"Reservation for Casey." Severide said.

"Mr. Casey. I see there are four of you. Right this way." the hostess said.

Casey, Brett, Severide, and Stella followed the hostess to their table. The men helped the women with their seats and than sat down beside of them. The hostess placed their menus on the table.

"Your waiter will be right with you." the hostess said as she went back to the front of the restaurant.

"This looks expensive." Brett whispered under her breath to where only Casey could hear her.

"Don't worry about it. I know the owner." Casey whispered in Brett's ear.

"Good evening. My name is Rafe and I will be your waiter this evening. May I take your drink order?" Rafe said.

"I'll have the Pinot Noir Red Wine." Stella said.

"I'll have the same." Brett said.

"Same." Casey said.

"Same as well." Severide replied.

"Four glasses of the Pinot Noir Red Wine to start off with. Is that correct?" Rafe asked.

"Yes." Severide replied.

"I'll be right out with that." Rafe said as he went over to the computer to put in the drink orders.

"So, what's the special occassion?" Stella asked.

"Can we at least eat first?" Severide laughed.

"Fine." Stella said.

Brett and Casey laughed.

"Brett, you're supposed to be on my side." Stella chuckled.

"I am but I'm starving." Brett giggled.

"You ate one large pizza by yourself." Stella said.

"You did too." Brett chuckled.

"True." Stella shook her head to agree with Brett.

Rafe came back out with their drinks. He placed each drink in front of them on the table.

"May I take your order or do you all need another moment?" Rafe asked.

Everyone looked at each other and nodded their head in agreement.

"We're ready." Casey said.

"Miss, let's start with you." Rafe said as he looked at Brett.

"I'll have the shrimp and pork rolls." Brett said.

"And what would you like for your two sides?" Rafe asked.

"May I get some steamed rice and vegetables for my sides?" Brett asked.

"Of course you may. Is there anything else?" Rafe asked.

"That's all I want." Brett said.

"Alright. Miss, what about you?" Rafe asked Stella.

"May I have the steak and lobster with scallop potatoes?" Stella asked.

"Absolutely. Is there anything else?" Rafe asked.

"No, that's it for me." Stella replied.

"How about you, sir?" Rafe asked Casey.

"I'll have the the alfredo chicken with the steamed vegetables." Casey said.

"Is that all?" Rafe asked.

"Yes." Casey replied.

"Sir, what can I get you?" Rafe asked.

"I'll have the filet mignon with mashed potatoes and broccoli. That will be all." Severide said.

"Alright. I will go and put the orders in. It will be out within thirty minutes." Rafe said as he took the menus from the table.

Rafe walked away and put in the orders at one of the computers. The women were getting restless, waiting to know what the men had up their sleeves. Usually when they went out on romantic dates, it ended up being because of some sort of promotion, hoiday, birthday, but never just out of the blue. Brett and Stella weren't sure what was going on but they knew it was something good, or at least they hoped it was something good. Rafe came out with their dinner. After making sure each of them had the correct plate in front of them, he refilled their glasses with wine and then left. They ate their dinner and talked about their Christmas. New Year's was a few days away and then it was back to work for them.

"Now that we are done eating, there's something that I would like to say." Severide said to the other three.

The three of them looked at Severide. He turned to look at Stella. He pushed his chair away and got down on one knee.

"Stella, I love you so much. You and I have been through a lot over the last few years. I would like nothing more than for you to be my wife. Will you marry me?" Severide said as he held a beautiful diamond ring in his hand.

Stella was speechless. She was in shock. She was happy.

"Yes!" Stella exclaimed.

Severide placed the ring on Stella's finger and then kissed. Everyone in the restaurant clapped and cheered for the happy couple. Rafe came by with the check with Sergio.

"Matthew, Sylvie. How are you?" Sergio smiled.

"We're fine." Brett smiled.

"Ah, I see we have a celebration here." Sergio laughed.

"We just got engaged." Severide smiled.

"Ah, congratulations! As an early wedding gift, dinner is on me tonight." Sergio happily said.

"Sergio, I didn't know you owned this place." Brett smiled.

"I own this one and the other one. My brother passed away a few years ago and I'm just helping out until his son is able to take over in two years when he turns 18." Sergio commented.

"That's nice." Brett sweetly said.

After talking for a few minutes, Casey, Brett, Stella, and Severide said their goodbyes to Sergio, thanked him for dinner, and then said goodbye to each other as Stella and Severide headed to their apartment to celebrate and Brett and Casey headed back to their apartment. It had been a long day but so worth it seeing Stella and Severide happy.

"You know, I'm so happy for Stella and Kelly." Brett gushed.

"Me too." Casey smiled.

Brett could see that something was wrong.

"What's wrong?" Brett asked.

"Tonight got me thinking about us." Casey said.

Brett was starting to worry. This didn't sound good. Her anxiety was starting to get the best of her. She gave Casey a look.

"Nothing bad. It just made me realize how much you mean to me. You know a part of me will always love Gabby, but you are my present and my future. Sylvie, I love you. I love waking up next to you in my arms. I love how you talk to yourself when you think no one is around. I couldn't have made it through these last few months without you. When Gabby left, I thought I would never be able to move on. I thought my life was over. All I did was work and drink on occasion but you were there, even when I was so drunk that you and Cruz let me crash on the crush. Then, you left and I thought I lost everything. When you came back, my heart stopped, but in a good way. I realized just how much you meant to me when you left and now, you mean more to me than anything. I wanted you to know that because I know I don't say it enough, but I love you. I'm completely in love with you and I've never been happier than I am when I'm with you." Casey explained.

Brett was in tears, happy tears. She was happy and for the first time in her life. Matthew Casey made her feel like she was special and was important. He made her feel safe and happy. He made her feel things that she had never felt before and although those feelings were scary at times because he did like to prank her on occasions, she still has never felt so much love from someone in her life. She was truly happy.

"I hope those are happy tears." Casey laughed.

"They are. I love you so much. I'm in love with you and I have never felt this way about anyone before. When I was with Kyle in Fowlerton, all I thought about was you. I thought about how we left on bad terms but I thought about how much you meant to me. Matthew Casey, I am completely head over heels in love with you." Brett cried.

Casey kissed her with passion. This was the first time in a while that Casey had opened up to her and it put her in tears. She returned his kiss with more passion and more fire. Casey picked Brett up and carried her to his bedroom. This night couldn't be more perfect.


	20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

It was New Year's Eve and Casey and Severide were helping Sergio with his restaurant. The floors and ceiling needed to be fixed, so Casey offered to fix it and Severide offered to help. It was going to be an all day job but it Casey and Severide were hopeful to get some of it done before ringing in the new year with their women. Meanwhile, Stella had asked Brett to come over to help start planning the wedding.

"So, have you and Severide picked a date for the wedding?" Brett asked.

"No but I figured I might as well get a head start on what decorations and all that to get so that he and I don't have to wait." Stella said.

"That can't hurt. You do know that things can go in and out of style between now and when you guys get married." Brett joked.

"True but it doesn't hurt to look." Stella giggled.

The two of them continued to look at wedding decorations and dresses until it got dark. Casey called Brett.

"Hey Beautiful, Kelly and I are almost done here. I'm gonna stop and get a pizza. I'll be home in an hour." Casey said.

"That sounds good. Uh, Stella and I were just finishing up." Brett said.

They said their goodbyes and then they hung up the phone. Brett told Stella goodbye and headed back to her apartment she shared with Casey. Once she arrived back home, she opened the door, took her shoes off, and then closed the door. She grabbed a bottle of red wine from the cabinet beside of the refrigerator and then two wine glasses from the cabinet above the sink. She poured the wine into the glasses and waited on Casey to come home. She changed into her pajamas and watched some TV for a bit. It had been nearly two hours since she had heard from Casey, which was unusual. She missed him. She ended up falling asleep on the couch and started having another dream about Otis.

BRETT'S DREAM:

Brett was doing inventory at Firehouse 51 on her day off, which was unlike herself. She rarely worked on her day off. As she continued to do inventory and fill out the reports from the last week, she was greeted by a familiar voice.

"Sylvie, what are you doing?" the man asked with a laugh.

"Doing inventory." Brett joked.

The man laughed.

"Seriously? You're doing inventory on your day off? That's crazy." Otis laughed.

"Do you have a better idea?" Brett giggled.

"Yeah. Go have fun. Trust me, when you can't do the things you wanna do anymore, you miss it. You miss the people around you. I know that you have taken my death the hardest besides Cruz. We were the Three Muskateers. I miss you guys every day." Otis firmly said.

Brett started crying.

"Otis. I miss you. We all miss you. It's so hard without you." Brett cried.

"Sylvie, I know it's hard. It was hard for me to leave you guys. I didn't want to but I had too. I was needed here. I love and miss you guys every day but I have to stay here and watch over all of you." Otis smiled.

"Otis, I need to know something." Brett said.

Otis knew what she was gonna asked.

"Everything is going to be fine. I promise." Otis smiled before he disappeared.

END OF BRETT'S DREAM.

Brett woke up and saw that Casey still wasn't home. She checked her phone and saw a text message from him.

"TRUCK WOULDN'T START. RUNNING LATE. BE THERE IN A LITTLE BIT. LOVE YOU. - MATT" the text message read.

Brett smiled. Her anxiety was starting to wear her down. The dream with Otis seemed so real. She felt as if Otis was trying to tell her something but she was unsure of what that would be. She scrolled through the Internet on her phone and until she heard the door open. Casey walked in, closed the door, and walked over to Brett and gave her a huge kiss. He missed her.

"What was that for?" Brett asked with a smile.

"Well, it is New Year's Eve and I couldn't wait until midnight to kiss you." Casey chuckled.

"Good because I couldn't have made it that long." Brett giggled.

"So, we have two hours until midnight, two pizzas with some Italian cheese bread and marinara sauce, and some cuddling to do. How does that sound?" Casey teased.

"Mmm, I like the sound of that." Brett smiled.

"Yeah? Well, what movie do you wanna watch?" Casey asked.

"You pick one while I get some paper plates." Brett said as she walked to the kitchen to grab some paper plates that were sitting on the counter.

Brett decided to just bring all the paper plates with her to the living room and she also grabbed a roll of paper towels. She walked back to the the living room where Casey was waiting on her before starting the movie. He had chosen the movie, New Year's Eve that had the likes of Jon Bon Jovi, Zac Efron, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelle Pfeiffer, and several others. He thought it was only fitting that they watch that movie since the movie does revolve around New Year's Eve. Brett handed Casey a paper plate and they filled their plates with pizza and Italian cheese bread. They watched the movie as they ate their dinner. When they were finished, they cuddled next to each other on the couch.

"I love you." Casey whispered.

"I love you, too." Brett smiled.

"So, are you ready to go back to work?" Casey asked.

"Yes. I've been going nuts being off work." Brett giggled.

Casey noticed that Brett was acting weird.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Casey asked.

"I had this dream earlier. I was at the station doing inventory on my day off and Otis showed up." Brett explained.

Casey looked at her as she continued to explain the dream. When she was finished explaining the dream to Casey, she started crying. Casey wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Hey, look at me. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. I think that was Otis's way of telling you that he's alright and that he's always gonna be with us." Casey said.

"I think you're right." Brett smiled.

Brett rested her head against Casey's chest. After the movie ended, they just laid in each other's arms. It was five minutes until New Year's Day and Casey had asked Brett to spend the night with him in his room. She immediately agreed to and headed to his bedroom. They looked out of his bedroom window and saw that the sky was being lit with fireworks, signally the new year was being brought in.

"Happy New Year, beautiful." Casey whispered.

"Happy New Year, handsome." Brett whispered back.

They rang in the New Year with a kiss. They made love and enjoyed the rest of the night. The next morning, Boden had called in the first shift to come back to work a day early. Everyone had agreed. Everyone had been getting restless over this break and it was nice to get back to work. The shift started just like every other shift did. It started out slow.

"It's pretty slow today." Gallo said as he and Ritter were making breakfast for everyone.

"Dude, don't say that." Ritter said as he playfully hit Gallo on the shoulder.

"Why? It's the truth." Gallo said.

"Just give it time. We are gonna get a call and then you are gonna regret saying that." Ritter said.

The two of them joked around. Casey was in his office working on paperwork from second and third shifts. Severide was in his office doing the same thing. Meanwhile, Brett and Foster were hanging out in the common room with Stella, Herrmann, Mouch, Ritter, and Gallo. The women couldn't help but laugh over Ritter and Gallo bickering back and forth. Stella showed off her engagement ring to everyone and they congratulated her and Severide on their engagement. As they were all hanging out and catching up, the alarm rang.

"AMBULANCE 61. POSSIBLE CARDIAC ARREST. 1880 MELROSE STREET." the woman said over the intercom.

"Let's go!" Brett yelled at Foster who was talking to Stella.

"Coming!" Foster yelled as she and Brett ran to the ambulance.

Foster and Brett got in the ambulance and headed to the address. When they arrived, they heard a woman yelling for help.

"My name is Sylvie and this is Emily. We are paramedics with the Chicago Fire Department. What's going on?" Brett asked the woman.

"It's my father. I think he's having a heart attack." the woman said.

"What's your father's name?" Brett asked.

"Harold and I'm Melissa." Melissa said.

"Alright, Melissa. Emily and I need to examine your father, but we need you to give us some room to work." Brett said.

Melissa stepped away to allow Brett and Foster to work. As they checked her father, they raised him up and he let out a huge belch. Suddenly, he was feeling better. They still checked him out and determined that he was alright.

"It looks like your father will be just fine. Turns out that he just had to pass gas." Foster told Melissa.

Melissa and her father laughed.

"Thank goodness it's nothing serious." Harold said.

"I highly, highly recommend that you get checked out at Chicago Med or by your primary care physician just to be on the safe side." Brett implied.

After talking to them for a few minutes, Brett and Foster left and headed back to the station. Squad 3 was out on a call and Casey was hoping that Truck 81 wouldn't get called out. The day went by fairly quickly but then Truck 81 got called out to a fire. That's the last thing Casey wanted to do today.

"TRUCK 81. POSSIBLE BUILDING FIRE. 1680 WOLF LAKE BOULEVARD." the woman said over the intercom.

Everyone who worked on Truck 81 left right before Brett and Foster got back. When Brett and Foster arrived back at the station, they noticed that Squad 3 and Truck 81 were out on a call.

"That's odd." Foster said.

"What's odd?" Brett asked.

"Squad and Truck are out on a call but we didn't get called to go to help them." Foster said.

Before Brett could answer Foster, Squad 3 returned.

"Looks like they got called out on separate calls." Brett said.

Foster let out a laugh. The two women headed into the common room where they were greeted by Squad 3 shortly after. Everyone was talking about their call when about two hours later, Truck 81 came back. Brett was writing up her report for the call that she and Foster were just on when she looked up and saw Casey. He looked like he was in a foul mood and was worried that he might not wanna see her. Casey caught her looking at him before she looked back down at her report. Casey walked over to Brett.

"Hey, meet me in my office in five minutes." Casey whispered.

Brett looked up to see Casey. She saw the smile on his face and smiled back before he headed to his office. Brett finished her report and met Casey in his office.

"You wanted to see me?" Brett questioned.

"Yeah, come in and close the door." Casey grinned.

He walked over to the blinds and closed them and then pulled Brett close to him. He gave her a kiss.

"What was that for?" Brett asked in a whisper.

"It was a rough call. We lost one of the victims but everyone else got out alright." Casey said.

"I'm sorry." Brett frowned.

"Hey, it's ok. We can't save them all even though we want too. Just seeing you after I come back from every call or after you come back from every call is the only thing I need." Casey whispered.

Brett could tell by Casey's whisper that he just needed her more than anything right now.

"I just wanna cuddle with you right now." Casey said.

"Sounds good to me." Brett smiled.

Casey walked over to the bed in his office and laid down. Brett followed behind him and they cuddled until someone came looking for them or until it was time for them to go home. They discussed some heavy issues that they hadn't talked about before.

"So, you know that Gabby and I fought about having kids but then we got Louie and everything changed and I began to think that I could actually be a dad. I guess I would actually like to have a family of my own some day." Casey explained.

Brett looked at Casey and gave him a smile.

"I think you would make a wonderful dad. I'd like to have my own family some day as well. I've also thought about marriage and how I'd like to get married but still pursue my job." Brett said.

Casey looked at her the same way she looked at him.

"I hope you don't get offended when I ask or say this, but is that why you and Kyle didn't work out?" Casey asked.

"I was ready to get married but he wanted me to be a house wife and didn't want me working. I didn't like the thought of not being able to work and then there was the whole being in Fowlerton thing that just didn't feel right. I mean, I loved Kyle but I wasn't in love with him." Brett explained.

"I know that feeling. I thought I was in love with Gabby but I realized that although I didn't love her, I was never truly in love with her. The way I feel about you is real. I feel in love with you. When I'm not around you, I think about you. I miss you. With Gabby, I worried about her but her heart just wasn't in the relationship." Casey said.

"I know that feeling. Just so you know, I feel the same way about you as well." Brett smiled.

They kissed and cuddled some more. Brett saw that Casey was asleep and quietly got out of bed. She wanted to write in her notebook like she always did when she needed to talk to Otis. She headed to the common room and grabbed her notebook. Everyone was in the bunk room resting, so she was able to sneak in and get her notebook without being caught. On her way back to Casey's office, she walked past Otis's plaque that was hanging in the hallway. Casey stepped out of his office and saw Brett standing in front of Otis's plaque, clinging her notebook. Casey walked over to her and pulled her close to him. They had about two hours to go before their shift was over. They walked back to Casey's office where they cuddled. Casey hated that Brett was still hurting from losing Otis and wished her pain would go away. At the same time, he wondered to himself how anyone could ever abandon her when she was just a baby. He wanted to take her pain away. He wanted to make her feel like she was loved and that she never had to worry about him leaving her. She held him and he let her cry as long as she needed too. He kissed her forehead and then held her hand. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep in his arms. He fell asleep shortly after she did.


	21. Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

It was time for first shift to go home. Brett and Casey were going to Molly's to have a drink with everyone on first shift. When they arrived, Molly's was already packed with people. There was a footbball game on, which attracted the younger crowd and half of Chicago seemed to be in there. Hank Voight, Jay Halstead, Kim Burgess, and the rest of the Intelligence Team from P.D. were there as well as Jay's brother, Dr. Will Halstead from Med. Dr. Natalie Manning, and a few others from Med were there as well. Molly's was the go to hang out spot. Brett had told Casey to go hang out with the guys while she hung out with the girls.

"So, you and Casey seem happy." Burgess said.

"Yeah, we are. What's going on with you and Ruzek?" Brett questioned.

"I don't know. I mean, I think we might be getting back together, but I'm not sure." Burgess answered.

"Well, there's no denying that you and Ruzek have chemistry." Stella chimed in.

"Well, I could say the same about you and Severide. When were you going to tell me that you both were engaged? I had to hear it through the grapevine at the station." Burgess laughed.

"It happened over Christmas break." Stella said as she explained what how it happened.

"I'm happy for you guys." Burgess smiled.

Stella, Foster, and Burgess all looked at Brett who was lost in her thoughts.

"Hey, what's going on?" Stella asked Brett.

"Nothing. I just haven't felt good lately. All I wanna do is sleep." Brett replied.

Foster gave Brett a look.

"Are you pregnant?" Foster asked.

"No, I'm sure of that. I just stay cold all the time and I feel tired." Brett said.

Foster looked and saw Natalie.

"Hey Natalie, could you come here for a minute?" Foster asked.

Natalie walked over to the table where Brett, Foster, Burgess, and Stella were sitting.

"What's up?" Natalie asked.

"Brett has been feeling tired and cold lately. She doesn't have the flu. What could it be?" Foster asked.

"It could be several things. She could be anemic, have low blood sugar, really just any number of things." Natalie explained.

"Well, I have been very shaky lately and I have a few bruises on my leg but I probably got that from working." Brett explained.

"Let's get you to the bathroom so I can do an examination on you." Natalie said.

With that, the women headed to the bathroom. The guys just shook their heads.

"Why do women always go to the bathroom in groups? I've never understood that." Casey smirked.

"Women are a mystery." Herrmann said.

"It's almost like they plan things in there." Severide joked.

"Alright, enough of that. So Cruz, when are you and Chloe getting married?" Herrmann asked.

"We were thinking of having a Summer wedding but we haven't picked out a date yet." Cruz said.

"What's taking so long?" Severide asked.

"I don't know. Women are weird about things like that." Cruz chuckled.

The men laughed and continued to chat. Back in the women's restroom, Natalie checked Brett's bruises and asked a few questions.

"Well, I can't say for certain, but it looks like it could be anemia. You need to go to Med to get some tests done but even if it is anemia, it's very treatable." Natalie said.

"I'll come in later this week on one of my day's off." Brett said.

"In the meantime, don't stress about it. It's probably nothing." Natalie reassured Brett.

"I'm sure you're right." Brett smiled.

"So, Stella, have you and Severide picked a day yet?" Natalie asked, changing the conversation.

"Not yet. I think we are just gonna have a long engagement for now." Stella explained.

The ladies continued to talk for a few minutes before going back to the bar area. Luckily, their table was still empty. Natalie rejoined Will and the other doctors and nurses from Med, while Brett, Stella, and Foster sat at their table. Stella looked over at Severide who gave her a look that she knew all too well. The look was a signal to tell Stella it was time for them to go home and have some alone time. Stella said her goodbyes and then left with Severide.

"How's everything going since Otis?" Burgess asked, trying not to push the subject.

"It's going. I think it's a huge adjustment for everyone. We were all close to Otis, except for Gallo. He's the new guy besides Ritter." Brett explained.

"That's understandable. When Al died, a piece of us all died. All of us, except for Upton, knows what it's like to lose someone who is like family. Al was like our father. It's not the same. Voight is also like our dad but more like the strict one who says not to do something. Al was the carefree kind that had a heart of gold." Burgess said as she remembered the loss of Al Olinsky, a former member of the Intelligence Team of the Chicago P.D.

Brett remembered when that happened. Burgess and Brett talked about how hard it's been to move on since the death of their beloved friends and how things have changed. Back at the bar, Casey and Jay Halstead were talking.

"So, have you heard from Lindsay?" Casey asked.

"Yeah. She seems to be doing really well with the FBI's Counter-terrorism Bureau. She actually likes New York, although, I'm not surprised. The funny thing is that although we broke up, we are still close." Jay said.

"I hear ya. Gabby showed up shortly after Brett came back home from Fowlerton." Casey admitted.

"Yikes. How did that go?" Jay asked.

"Well, she and Mills got back together. I guess Mills went to Puerto Rico to help out and they reconnected. It's all good though. We cleared some things up and she's actually happy for Brett and I." Casey smiled.

"Dude, your face lights up every time you talk about Brett. I never saw that you and Gabby. Hope Brett is the one." Jay said.

"I hope she is, too. I love her." Casey smiled.

"You and Lindsay thinking about getting back together?" Casey wondered.

"I don't know. I'm supposed to go see her in a few weeks. To my knowledge, she's not seeing anyone but there's always that possibility she is, ya know? I just don't wanna get my hopes up." Jay said.

Casey and Jay continued to talk until Cruz and Herrmann brought out the karaoke machine and people starting doing karaoke. Needless to say, there were lots of off tune singing. It wasn't long until Burgess talked Brett and Upton into singing

. Casey and Jay saw Brett, Burgess, and Foster, walk by them to go sing.  
Casey smiled. He remembered how awful Brett sounded, so he was looking forward to this. The funny thing is that none of the women were drunk. They had already decided on a song before going up there. The song started playing and the women started singing.

"_I saw him dancing there by the record machine_

_ I knew he must have been about seventeen _

_The beat was going strong _

_Playing my favorite song _

_And I could tell it wouldn't be long till he was with me_

_Yeah me_

_ And I could tell it wouldn't be long till he was with me _

_Yeah me_"

The ladies continued to sing "I Love Rock 'N' Roll" by Joan Jett. Casey was shocked to hear that Brett actually had a beautiful voice. He guess that she might have hid that from him by pretending to sound awful. Either way, he was thoroughly enjoying her singing. Adam heard Burgess singing and he couldn't stop smiling at Burgess. When they were done, everyone cheered for them. As they walked away, Casey stopped Brett.

"Why didn't you tell me that you had a beautiful voice?" Casey teased.

"I don't know. I just usually goof around when I sing. Never really take it seriously." Brett answered.

"You should sing like that more often." Casey smiled.

"I just might." Brett said as she kissed Casey.

They pulled apart and then Brett went back to her table where Burgess was waiting on her.

"That was fun but next time, I need to be drunk." Burgess laughed.

"I second that." Foster chimmed in.

"You know what I want to do?" Burgess said.

"What?" Brett asked.

"I think we should do this once a week. Just us girls. You, Stella, Foster, and myself." Burgess said

"What about Upton?" Brett asked.

"I'll ask her." Burgess said.

The women talked a little more.

"Last call!" Herrmann yelled out.

That was a head's up to everyone that Molly's would be closing soon and if anyone in the bar wanted a drink, now was the time to do it. Casey and Brett also took that as a signal to head home. They said their goodbyes to everyone and headed home.

"I'm so glad to be home." Brett smiled.

"Really? Why is that?" Casey asked.

"Because I get to do this." Casey said as he kissed Brett.

They made their way to Casey's bedroom while still kissing. Brett pulled away because she started to feel a little light headed.

"Are you ok?" Casey asked with concern.

"Yeah, just a little light headed. I think the beer I had is getting to me." Brett said.

"Go get changed and then come back here." Casey whispered.

Brett went to her room and changed into her pajamas. When she was finished, she walked back to Casey's room. Casey was laying on his bed shirtless with sweatpants on.

"Hey beautiful." Casey groggily said.

"Someone sounds tired." Brett teased.

"I am but I need a cuddle buddy. Know anyone who is available?" Casey joked.

"Hmm. Let me think." Brett teased as she made her way to the bed.

She crawled into the bed and snuggled up next to him. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. She wrapped her arm around him and held him close to him. Casey sat the alarm while Brett got changed, but as soon as she wrapped her arms around him, they were both fast asleep. The night seemed to drag, which was great for the both of them. The alarm finally went off and woke them up. They gave each other a kiss and then Brett took a shower and got ready for work first, while Casey cooked some scrambled eggs and toast for them to eat. He also poured them some orange juice to drink with their food. When Brett came out of the bathroom after getting dressed, Casey headed to his room, grabbed some clean clothes, and then headed to the bathroom for his shower. After Brett brushed her hair and pulled it up into a ponytail, she came into the kitchen where she ate her breakfast and drank some orange juice. When Casey was finished, he did the same thing. When they were both finished with breakfast, they headed to work. Brett was greeted by Foster.

"Hey, I need to talk to you." Foster said.

"Go. I'll meet you later." Casey said.

Brett and Casey gave each other a quick kiss and then Casey headed to the locker room.

"What's up?" Brett asked.

"So, do you remember that girl that messaged me a few months ago shortly after you came back but then suddenly stopped?" Foster said.

"Yeah?" Brett replied.

"Well, she messaged me last night. She wants to meet up with me." Foster said nervously.

"Em, I don't know about that." Brett said with concern.

"I think I might blow her off like she blew me off." Foster said.

"That's your decision. If you do meet her, I recommend Molly's. At least Herrmann and Mouch would be there so if something fishy happened, you have a little back up." Brett suggested.

"You're the best." Foster smiled.

They headed to the locker room and put their things up. After, they headed to the common room where everyone was hanging out. Mouch was watching TV on the couch. Herrmann was helping Ritter and Gallo cook because Gallo's cooking wasn't the best. Casey and Severide were talking and Stella was just chilling out reading a magazine. Foster and Brett sat down at a table in the corner but before they could even breathe, the alarm went off.

"AMBULANCE 61. TRUCK 81. SQUAD 3. CAR ACCIDENT. CORNELL DRIVE." the woman said.

"Let's go!" Casey yelled as everyone jumped up and headed to the garage.

Brett and Foster were the first to leave, followed by Chief Boden, Squad 3 and then Truck 81. When they arrived on the scene, they saw a terrible car crash and it didn't look good. One car looked to be completely crushed with one victim pinned inside. Another car was turned over on it's side. One of the cars didn't sustain much damage, only to the front of the car. The victims were able to get out of the car. It looked like a pile up but it wasn't.

"Let's get the jaws over here!" Severide yelled.

There was a victim holding her head and walking towards Brett and Foster.

"I don't know what happened. We were driving and the next thing I know, there's an accident." the woman said.

"What is your name?" Brett asked.

"Daniella." Daniella said.

"Alright, Daniella. My name is Sylvie. I need you to listen to me. You have a head injury. We need to examine you. Alright." Brett said.

Daniella nodded her head with one nod to signal that she understood what Brett was saying.

"Foster!" Brett yelled.

"Daniella, this is Emily. She's gonna check you out while I tend to the other victims." Brett said in a sweet voice.

Daniella was only a teenager, who was on her way to pick up her brother from school as he was sick. Her mom was at work. Foster had Daniella keep talking to her so she wouldn't lose consciousness if she had a concussion. Brett walked over to the crushed car and saw that the victim was barely breathing but was breathing.

"I've got a weak pulse! I need a back board!" Brett yelled.

One of the other paramedics that were on scene hurried over with a back board.

"We need the jaws over here and fast!" Brett yelled as loud as she could.

Severide and the other firefighters came running to the scene. Brett moved so that they could use the Jaws of Life to get the victim out of the car. When they got the victim out of the car, Brett checked on her.

"Ma'am. My name is Sylvie. I'm a paramedic with Chicago Fire. Can you hear me?" Brett asked.

"Yes." the woman barely said.

"What's your name?" Brett asked.

"Kenzie." Kenzie said before Kenzie lost consciousness.

"We need a med a vac!" Casey yelled.

Chief Boden called for a med a vac helicopter to arrive on scene.

"They are on there way. Casey, how bad is it?" Boden asked over the radio.

"If we don't get her to a hospital, she'll die." Casey replied over the radio.

"Copy that." Boden said as he checked on the other victims.

"We need to intubate." Brett told the other paramedic helping her.

The paramedic helped Brett intubate the victim so that Kenzie could try to breathe. The med a vac arrived and transported Kenzie to Med. It looked like all the victims had been accounted for, except for one. It was the driver of the car who caused the accident.

"We accounted for everyone except the driver of the car that caused the accident, Chief." Casey said over the radio to Boden.

The firefighters and police officers on scene searched everywhere and found a body. The driver was dead. One of the paramedics from another firehouse, took the body to the morgue. Everyone that helped work the accident who was still on scene, helped clear the road. It took hours to get the road clear, but when everyone arrived back at 51, they were tired.

"That was a horrible accident." Cruz said.

"Yeah. Not everyone made it out." Gallo chimed in.

Everyone gave Gallo a look that meant he needed to get back to house chores around the station.

"Hey, Chloe said that her friend Kenzie was in that accident. Does anyone remember helping her?" Cruz asked as he was on the phone with Chloe.

"Let me talk to her." Brett said as she motioned for Cruz to give her the phone.

Cruz handed Brett the phone and began to talk to Chloe.

"Hey, Chloe. Uh, Kenzie wasn't doing so well but med a vac transported her to Med. We had to intubate her and she was barely breathing but she was breathing.  
Go to Med and ask for Maggie or April. They should know what is going on with Kenzie." Brett calmly told her friend.

"Thanks, Sylvie." Chloe said.

Brett handed the phone back to Cruz, who told Chloe that he loved her before hanging up. This was going to be a long day. One call took about four hours but everyone knew that when calls like this came in, they came in back to back. Everyone was tired and tried to get some kind of rest before they got another call that day. Brett headed to the bunk room and as soon as she placed her head on the pillow, she was knocked out. Casey went to his office and pretty much did the same thing. It was hard for them to not wanna cuddle but that call left both of them wanting to be left alone.


	22. Chapter 22

This is the final chapter. I've decided to start a new Casey and Brett fanfic because I love these two characters and I would love to see them actually end up getting together. I hope you all have enjoyed this fanfic as much as I have writing it.

CHAPTER 22

Brett jumped out of the bed in the bunk room when the alarm sounded.

"AMBULANCE 61. POSSIBLE CARDIAC ARREST. 4225 CLARK STREET." the woman said over the intercom.

Brett and Foster wasted no time in heading to the ambulance. They left the firehouse and arrived on the scene. A woman was motioning for Brett and Foster to come to her.

"It's my mother. I think she's having a heart attack!" the woman said.

"What's her name?" Brett asked.

"Julie and I'm Alissa." Alissa said.

"Alissa, we need you to give us some room to work." Brett politely said.

"Julie? My name is Sylvie and this is Emily. We are paramedics with Chicago Fire. Can you tell me what's wrong?" Brett asked.

"My chest hurts." Julie said.

Brett and Foster carefully examined Julie and determined that she needed to get to Med as soon as possible. They got her on the gurney and then transported her to Med, with Julie following behind them in her car. After they got Julie to Med and the doctors at Med got her into an ER room, Foster and Brett headed back to the firehouse. When they got back, Truck 81 and Squad 3 were on their way back from a call that they had received. Their shift was almost over but Brett and Casey were having a bad day. Losing a victim is never easy and Casey had to jump on to Gallo a few times today for not following orders, but neither of them could wait until it was time for them to go home. Truck 81 and Squad 3 had just came back from a call. Just before any of them could catch a breath, the alarm sounded.

"AMBULANCE 61. TRUCK 81. SQUAD 3. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND HOUSE FIRE. 2332 ELSWORTH DRIVE." the woman said over the intercom.

Everyone stayed in their gear and headed to the scene with Chief Boden leading Truck 81 and Squad 3. They arrived on scene where Hank Voight's team was waiting for them.

"Chief." Voight said as he greeted Boden, who was getting out of his vehicle.

"Voight. What's the situation?" Boden asked.

"We've called in back up and the S.W.A.T. team. Domestic violence as well as a house fire. We aren't sure of the casualties, but the perp has a gun and is holding hostages." Voight described the situation.

"I'll let my guys know." Boden said.

Boden relayed the message from Voight to his team and told them to be careful. Casey, Severide, and Herrman gave orders to their team.

"Listen, Chief Boden told us about the hostage situation. Voight's team is trying to get everyone out safely but we need to get in there and see just how much damage has been done with the fire and if we can put it out. Herrmann and Ritter, I need you two to go check the premises and make sure that every doorway, entrance, and exit are clear. If not, let me know. Gallo. You and Severide need to try to get the hostages out if P.D. can't. Take the rig and go up from the side if possible. Mouch, you are with me. We have to try to contain the fire. Stella, normally I'd send you in, but I need you to stay and help Brett and Foster with triage. There's gonna be a lot of victims and we are gonna need all hands on deck. Everyone else, wait on Chief Boden's orders and do as he says. Got it?" Casey calmly said.

Everyone nodded their head to let Casey know that they understood what they needed to do. Brett, Foster, and Stella set up triage around the corner, out of sight from the perp, just in case the perp tried to shoot. This way, they would be out of harm's way and the victim's could get the care that they needed. Before anyone did anything, Herrmann and Ritter checked the doorways to make sure that the fire would not spread.

"Clear!" Herrmann called out over the radio.

"Clear!" Ritter called out as well.

"Let's go!" Casey said as he and Mouch headed inside to try to put out the fire.

Gallo helped Severide out by waiting on orders. Severide gave the orders as soon as he saw that Mouch and Casey were heading inside to get the fire under control. Capp and a few other firefighters helped Casey and Mouch put out the fire. Cruz stayed back with Boden to assist in directing victims to the triage area where Brett, Foster, and Stella were. They were waiting on back up ambulances to arrive. After what seemed like an eternity, all the hostages and victims in the building were rescued and the perp was arrested. The perp was someone that Voight and his team had been trying to catch for months but was never able to do so until now. After the fire was put out, the victims were taken to Med, and the perp in custody at Chicago P.D., everyone from Firehouse 51 headed back to the station. The first thing that Brett did was head to the bunk room. Their shift was almost over and she avoided everyone. That was a hard call. On the way to Med, they lost two people. Anytime someone died on shift whether it was a victim or one of their own, Sylvie Brett took it the hardest as she has the biggest heart of anyone there. Casey knew what Brett was doing and decided to check on her.

"Hey, are you alright?" Casey asked.

"We lost two of the victims on the way to Med. It wasn't pretty. The two victims were mother and daughter. The mother was in her twenties and her daughter was only two. Two years old. I mean, what sick freak takes his girlfriend and her children hostage in an apartment building and then tries to kill everyone inside of it?" Brett cried.

Casey walked over to her and sat beside of her on the bed.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Casey said as he tried to comfort her.

"How much longer until our shift is over?" Brett asked.

"One hour. Why don't you get some sleep and I'll come get you when it's time to go." Casey smiled.

"I love you." Brett smiled.

"I love you too, beautiful." Casey said.

He gave her a quick kiss and then left for his office. Brett laid down on the bunk bed and tried to get some sleep. To Brett, this seemed to be like the day that would never end. She was devastated that she lost two patients on her way to Med and any time she lost a patient, she took it really hard. The hour passed by fast and Casey came to the bunk room and woke her up.

"Wake up, beautiful." Casey whispered as he gently nudged Brett.

"Hmm...what time is it?" Brett asked.

"Time to go home." Casey whispered.

Brett raised up and sat on the bed for a minute. She started yawning and then got up. She and Casey headed home where she went straight to bed after changing into her pajamas. They were off tomorrow, so she could sleep in. She snuggled up next to Casey and held him and close to her as she could. He could tell that she was having a rough night.

"Don't go!" Brett called out in her sleep.

Casey jumped up immediately and saw that Brett was talking in her sleep.

"No. Don't leave me!" Brett cried in her sleep.

Casey was worried but before he could wake her up, she jolted up out of the bed.

"Matt!" Brett yelled as she was scared.

"Hey, I'm right here, babe. I'm right here." Casey said as soothed her back.

Brett cried into Casey's chest.

"It was just a bad dream." Casey reassured her.

"It felt so real." Brett replied.

"Wanna tell me what it was about?" he asked.

"Gabby came back and you left me for her. Then you were in a car accident and you told me you were sorry you chose her over me and then you died." she cried.

"It was just a dream. I'm very much alive and I'm very much in love with you. I'm not going anywhere, and that includes going back to Gabby. She and I are done for good." Casey said as he continued to rub her back.

"I know. I guess between losing Otis, Gabby coming back, and then losing those patients on the way to Med, I guess I'm just stressed out." Brett said as she wiped away her tears.

"Are you ok?" Casey asked.

"I am now. Just hold me." Brett said as she wrapped her arms around Casey.

Casey held her the rest of the night. The next morning, Brett got up to use the bathroom and as she was washing her hands, she saw that her nose was bleeding. After she got the bleeding to stop, she came out of the bathroom. She had noticed some more bruising.

"I think I need to go to Med." Brett worried.

Casey didn't even hesistate to ask why. He saw the sheer panic on her face and after they got dressed, they headed to Med. When they got there, they were greeted by Maggie, the head nurse.

"Hey guys, what brings you here?" Maggie said with a smile.

"I think there's something really wrong with me. I've got some bruises that I'm not sure how I got and my nose started bleeding this morning." Brett said as she described her symptoms.

"Alright. Let's get you into a room." Maggie said after she checked Brett into the hospital.

They followed Maggie into one of the ER rooms and then waited on one of the doctors to come around. Dr. Natalie Manning came in and saw that it was Brett.

"Sylvie? What's going on?" Manning asked.

"Well, I've had some bruising on my legs but I noticed this bruise this morning on my arm. Then as I was washing my hands, my nose started bleeding." Brett said.

Natalie looked concerned.

"So, first thing I'm gonna do is do some tests. I'm gonna take a sample of your blood and have the lab test it just to rule out anything serious. I'm also gonna have you go for a CT Scan and an MRI just to make sure everything is ok. Given the symptoms, I want to rule out everything else so that I can narrow in on what it could be, at least until we get your labs back. Alright?" Manning said.

"Let's get this over with." Brett said.

Natalie drew blood and then had one of the nurses take the vials to the lab for testing. Natalie then had another nurse take Brett to get her CT Scans and the MRI. When she was finished, the nurse brought her back to the ER room. All that was left to do is wait for the test results. After a few hours, Natalie came back to the room.

"So, we got the test results back." Manning said.

"And?" Brett asked.

"The good news is that your tests came back negative for anything serious such as cancer, STDs, that sort of thing. The bad news is that your iron levels are showing to be borderline low, but it's something that can be treated. I'm gonna prescribe some iron medication for you to take once a day for the next month.  
I want to schedule a follow up one month from today just to see how things are going." Manning said.

"So, there's nothing wrong? What's causing the bruises and the nosebleed?" Brett asked.

"It could be due to the low iron. As for the nosebleed, it's probably from the weather outside or your allergies." Manning said.

"Well, we have been to a lot of fire calls lately and my nose has been itching a lot." Brett said.

"Well, if you continue to get nosebleeds and they get worse, let me know. I'm gonna have Maggie bring you the discharge papers to get you out of here. Here is the prescription. Follow the directions and read the side effects. See you guys later." Manning said with a smile before leaving.

"Thank goodness it's nothing serious." Brett sighed with relief.

"I'm definitely thankful for that." Casey said as he gave Brett a kiss.

"Alright, you two. Enough kissing. Time for you to get out of here." Maggie joked.

"Thanks, Maggie." Brett smiled.

"I'm glad you're ok." Maggie said.

"Me too." Brett smiled.

Brett got down from the hospital bed and she and Casey left the hospital. They went and got Brett's prescription filled at the local pharmacy and then headed home. When they got home, all Brett wanted to do was enjoy the rest of her day off with Casey.

"I don't know about you, but I think I just want to spend the day in bed with you." Brett teased.

"Oh really? What did I do to deserve that?" Casey teased.

"For putting up with me." Brett laughed.

Casey leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her. She returned his kiss with passion. Little by little, their clothes started to come off and before they knew it, they were on the couch making love. After, they just cuddled next to each other.

"Wow." Casey said with a huge smile on his face.

"That was...uh..." Brett said as she tried to catch her breath.

"I love you." Casey smiled.

"I love you, too." Brett smiled back.

Both of them were reeling in the ectasy of what had just happened. Both were happy and could not be happier. For once in their lives, they were the happiest when they were together. Their story is far from over but they knew that this was just the beginning of something great. They hadn't been together for very long but that didn't matter. All that mattered was that they were together now and they would get through every single thing that comes their way.


End file.
